Storage of Whole Blood for up to 24 Hours at Ambient Temperature prior to Component Preparation

Abstract

The effect of rapid cooling to 20-24 degrees C of whole blood immediately after collection, using 'cooling units' with butane-1,4-diol and prolonged storage up to 24 h at ambient temperature was investigated in the whole blood and the subsequently prepared plasma, buffy coat and buffy-coat-poor red cell concentrate (BC-poor RCC) in saline-adenine-glucose-mannitol (SAG M) solution. Factor VIII:C content of the plasma (n = 10), after 24 h storage was 80 +/- 3% of the initial value. In routine procedures factor VIII:C content in the plasma (n = 129 pools of 20 donor units plasma) was 0.77 +/- 0.078 IU/ml, after storage of the whole blood for 16-20 h. In whole blood (n = 10), the 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) content of the red cells decreased from 4.36 +/- 0.55 to 1.47 +/- 0.6 mumol/ml red cells after 24 h storage at 20-24 degrees C. After storage of the BC-poor RCC (n = 10) at 2-6 degrees C for 1 week, the 2,3-DPG had dropped to 0.76 +/- 0.46 mumol/ml red cells. During the first 24 h of storage of whole blood, the adenine triphosphate (ATP) levels of the red cells remained stable. A mean increase of 20% of the initial value was observed after addition of SAG M solution. In the BC-poor RCC the ATP slowly decreased to 81 +/- 5% after 5 weeks and to 68 +/- 6.6% of the initial value after 6 weeks storage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Liquid–Stored Red Blood Cells for Transfusion

“…If the unseparated whole blood is kept at ambient temperature, without active cooling, within several hours a clearcut decrease of 2,3–DPG can be observed, but even with active cooling less than 50% remains after 16–h [61]. Red cells stored in the most commonly used additive solutions have markedly decreased levels of 2,3–DPG after 1 week of storage and are often completely depleted after 2 weeks.…”

“…Pietersz et al [61]demonstrated the usefulness of heat–absorbing plates containing solid butane–1,4–diol which has a melting point at 20°C. If active cooling is not applied it will take about 6 h for a blood unit stored at ambient temperature to reach 25°C , with cooling plates it is reduced to about 2 h. The metabolic rate in the red cells is strongly influenced by temperature.…”

Effects of massive transfusion on oxygen availability

“…Mild alkalosis and a slight decrease in levels of organic phosphate in red blood cells could explain the OH-DC deviation. It has been previously shown that 2,3 DPG levels rapidly decrease in whole blood and packed red cells stored in CPD, CPDA-1 or CPDA-2 as anticoagulants (14,15,16,17) . In our study there was no important decrease in 2,3 DPG levels, even in patients whose lactate levels were very high.…”

Improved Blood Preservation with 0.5CPD Erythro-Sol. Coagulation Factor VIII Activity and Erythrocyte Quality after Delayed Separation of Blood

“…These effects are also observed when whole blood is coooled down to 20 °C and stored at this temperature until separation [8]. However, the reduced citrate content increases Ca 2+ availability and thus the possible risk of activation of the coagulation or complement systems or other proteolytic activity.…”