A feasibility evaluation of an automated blood component collection systemplatelets and red cells

BACKGROUND: The purpose of these studies was to evaluate the functional pro perties of blood components collected with an automated collection system. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Single-donor platelets (n = 44) and packed red cell (RB C) units (n = 10) were collected. In vitro and in vivo assays were used to assess the function of single-donor platelet components stored for 5 days a nd of packed RBC units after storage for 42 days at 4 degrees C. RESULTS: Adverse events observed in the 44 study subjects were minor. The m ean 24-hour recovery value for the packed RBC units stored for 42 days was 83.6 +/- 5.4 percent, with a mean percentage of hemolysis on Day 42 at 0.46 +/- 0.19 percent. The 25 patients receiving platelet components achieved a mean corrected count increment of 15.1 +/- 10.4 x 10(3). All platelet conc entrates had less than I x 10(6) total white cells. CONCLUSION: Both in vitro and in vivo testing for the packed RBCs collected and stored for 42 days met the standards for both hemolysis and percentage of Cr-51 24-hour RBC recovery. The in vitro results and transfusion data o n white cell-reduced platelet components transfused to thrombocytopenic pat ients were comparable to those on available platelet components.