A cold-insoluble precipitate is formed, which is collected by centrifugation, resuspended in a small amount of residual plasma (generally 10–15 mL) and then re-frozen for storage.
In many clinical contexts, use of cryoprecipitate has been replaced with use of clotting factor concentrates (where available), but the whole form is still routinely stocked by many hospital Blood bank.
If a large volume of ABO-incompatible cryoprecipitate is used, the recipient may develop a positive direct antiglobulin test and, very rarely, mild haemolysis.
A typical adult dose is 10 units of whole blood-derived cryoprecipitate, equivalent to a fibrinogen dose of approximately 3−4 g. Adverse effects reported with the usage of cryoprecipitate include hemolytic transfusion reactions, febrile non-hemolytic reactions, allergic reactions (ranging from urticaria to anaphylaxis), septic reactions, transfusion related acute lung injury, circulatory overload, transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease, and post-transfusion purpura.
While the current method for producing cryoprecipitate was developed by Judith Graham Pool from Stanford University in 1964, it was initially approved in 1971 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under the name Cryoprecipitated AHF for the Hoxworth Blood Center University of Cincinnati Medical Center.