Evaluation of the overnight hold of whole blood at room temperature, before component processing: platelets (PLTs) from PLT-rich plasma

BACKGROUND: Whole blood (WB) must be refrigerated within 8 hours to optimize Factor VIII : C yield, but chilled platelets (PLTs) are rapidly removed from circulation and cannot be used clinically. It is logistically preferable to hold WB overnight at room temperature for next-day processing. We compared in vitro quality of PLT-rich plasma (PRP)-derived PLT concentrates (PCs) from fresh versus overnight-held WB.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Four units of WB were pooled and split to prevent donor-dependent differences. One unit was processed immediately; three others were held at room temperature and processed after 24 to 26 hours. After soft-spin centrifugation, PRP was separated from the red blood cells. PRP was hard-spun to make PLT-poor plasma, and the PLTs were resuspended in approximately 60 mL of plasma and stored for 7 days (n = 8 paired experiments by two blood centers).

RESULTS: After overnight hold, the PLT concentration was 1.37 × 10⁹ ± 0.19 × 10⁹/mL versus 1.03 × 10⁹ ± 0.32 × 10⁹/mL for freshly prepared PCs (p < 0.05). pH and glucose were significantly lower and lactate higher for overnight-held units on Day 1, but by Day 5, the differences had disappeared. Hypotonic shock response was initially better, 73 ± 14% for overnight-held versus 53 ± 12% for freshly processed (p < 0.001), but this difference also disappeared during storage. Activation marker CD62P was not different.

CONCLUSION: In vitro storage conditions produce immediate differences after preparation, which disappear throughout storage. PCs from overnight-held WB have similar in vitro variables as from freshly processed WB. These findings warrant confirmation in clinical trials, but underscore the possibility of use of these PCs as being equivalent to those obtained from freshly processed WB.