New Association Bulletin #25-02 Focuses on COBE 2991 Discontinuation

AABB issued Association Bulletin #25-02 (AB #25-02) on Friday, which addresses the planned discontinuation of the COBE 2991 device. The device is currently being phased out, and discontinuation completion is scheduled for March 2031. 

The bulletin describes the challenges surrounding the discontinuation of the Terumo COBE 2991 cell processor and steps that the blood community can take to plan for this occurrence. The bulletin also includes a review of an AABB member survey concerning awareness of the device discontinuation and its usage by surveyed facilities. 

AB #25-02 was crafted by a work group of AABB’s Technical Practices, Serology, and Genomics Subsection, which will create a supplement to the bulletin in the coming months focusing on any available alternatives to the COBE 2991 and other solutions that may become available. The subsection has also developed a website with a list of resources (articles, validation protocols, etc.) available to assist users preparing for the device discontinuation. This list is updated as more resources become available.

The subsection currently meets on the first Tuesday of every other month at 2:00 p.m. ET, and AABB invites members to join and participate. The subsection will meet next on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

Members with questions about the AB #25-02 or the subsection may contact standards@aabb.org.