Are All Leucodepleted Platelet Concentrates Equivalent?

Abstract

Background and Objectives: A number of technologies are available for the production of leucocyte–depleted platelet concentrates (PCs). This study compared the characteristics of PCs prepared by three commonly used techniques. Materials and Methods: In total, fifteen units of leucoyte–depleted PCs prepared by the Cobe LRS Turbo apheresis system, Haemonetics MCS+ with in–line filter and filtration of PCs derived from pooled buffy coats (BCs) were transferred into the same standard container. Markers to assess status/activation and microvesiculation of platelets as well as platelet injury were measured. Results: pH was well maintained in all types of PCs. The expression of CD62P was higher in Cobe LRS Turbo on day 1 but became equivalent between the three methods on day 5. A significant correlation was found between the expression of CD62P on platelet surface and soluble CD62P in the plasma. The degree of phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure was slightly higher in Cobe LRS Turbo and BC–PCs than Haemonetics MCS+ on day 1. However, on day 5 both apheresis PC values were higher than BC–PCs. A significant correlation was found between PS exposure and microvesiculation. Conclusion: Leucodepleted PCs prepared by the three methods were different in terms of storage lesion and microvesiculation. The clinical significance of these findings remains to be investigated.

Apheresis platelet concentrates contain platelet‐derived and endothelial cell‐derived microparticles

“…Our observation is in contrast to two former MP studies in PC prepared from whole blood [23], but also in apheresis concentrates [24], where increasing PMP levels were observed during storage time. However, these two studies identified MP only by their dimension using beads, which attributed to their much higher light scattering properties compared to MP of similar diameter will lead to inappropriate setting of flow cytometry thresholds and therefore may produce incorrect results.…”

“…It is well known that platelet concentrates (PC) contain MP, which may be related to the increased incidence of venous thrombosis and embolism following platelet transfusion [21,22]. MP have been detected in PC prepared from whole blood [23] and in apheresis concentrates [24] and have been related to harvest conditions and storage stress. However, the cellular origin or activation status of MP was not investigated in these studies.…”

Donor safety issues in high‐dose platelet collection using the latest apheresis systems

“…Development in medical sciences, including transplantation programs, has significantly increased the demand for platelets (PLT) 1,2 . The last two decades have observed an inclination toward the use of apheretic PLT rather than random donor PLT 3 .…”

Prospective comparison of high‐dose plateletpheresis with the latest apheresis systems on the same donors

“…While the demand for apheresis platelets (PLTs) has been steadily increasing, 1‐3 the recruitment and retention of voluntary and eligible blood donors becomes more and more difficult 4 . High‐dose plateletpheresis enables the collection of multiple units from the same donor in a single donation and may have the potential to counteract this problem and to reduce both costs and risks inherent with allogenic transfusion 5‐8 .…”