Microfluidic deformability analysis of the red cell storage lesion

Area of Science:

• Transfusion Medicine
• Hematology
• Biomaterials Science

Background:

• Assessing red blood cell (RBC) quality is crucial for transfusion medicine and clinical hematology.
• RBC deformability is a proposed indicator of blood unit quality.
• Current methods lack simplicity and non-destructiveness for routine quality control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate RBC deformability as a simple, non-destructive method for assessing blood unit quality.
• To examine longitudinal changes in RBC deformability during storage.
• To investigate donor-to-donor variability in RBC quality and storage capacity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a microfluidic device to measure the pressure required for single RBCs to transit a micrometer-scale constriction.
• Monitored RBC deformability in units stored in plastic tubes (14 days) and blood bags (56 days).
• Analyzed changes in RBC deformability over storage duration and across different donors.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated consistent, storage-dependent degradation of RBC deformability over time.
• Identified statistically significant variability in initial RBC deformability and storage capacity among donors.
• Observed a transient recovery phenomenon in RBC deformability across all samples.
• Transiting pressure measurements revealed significant donor variability in initial quality and storage potential.

Conclusions:

• RBC deformability profiling using transiting pressure is a promising rapid method for individual blood unit quality assessment.
• Significant donor variability necessitates individualized quality control for stored RBC units.
• This approach can aid in optimizing transfusion medicine practices and ensuring blood product efficacy.