Viability and function of 8-day-stored apheresis platelets

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Transfusion Medicine
• Platelet Biology

Background:

• Platelet storage duration is limited by quality concerns.
• Bacterial detection and pathogen inactivation methods may enable extended platelet storage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the in vivo quality of apheresis-collected platelets (PLTs) after 8 days of storage.
• To determine if stored PLTs meet proposed poststorage quality standards.

Main Methods:

• Collected autologous platelets (PLTs) from 20 volunteers using apheresis.
• Performed in vitro function and metabolic assays on Day 0 and Day 8.
• Radiolabeled fresh and stored PLTs with (51)Cr or (111)In for transfusion.
• Assessed posttransfusion recovery and survival of fresh versus stored PLTs.

Main Results:

• In vitro assays showed expected ranges for fresh and stored PLTs.
• Mean PLT recovery was 66% (fresh) vs. 53% (stored).
• Mean PLT survival was 8.5 days (fresh) vs. 5.6 days (stored).
• No significant differences in in vivo data between trial sites or radiolabels.

Conclusions:

• Autologous apheresis platelets stored for 8 days meet proposed in vivo quality standards for poststorage recovery and survival.
• Extended storage of platelets is viable with current methods.
• Findings support the potential for longer platelet shelf life.