The effects of storage on platelet function in different blood products

Reduced platelet (PLT) function during storage has been shown for buffy-coat-derived platelet concentrates (BCP) and apheresis platelet units (AP), while for whole blood (WB) it has not been well studied. The aim of this study was to investigate PLT function in these blood products throughout storage using a novel flow cytometric assay.

Flow cytometric measurement of agonist-induced platelet aggregation, CD62P expression and PAC-1 binding during storage in BCP, AP (1-9 days at 20°C) and WB (1-21 days at 2-6°C).

PLT-aggregation capacity decreased from day 1 to day 7 for almost all product-agonist combinations (P = .004 to P = .029) with aggregation capacity of WB being similar to that of AP and BCP. WB aggregation capacity remained relatively unchanged from day 7 to day 21. For all blood products, the fraction of agonist-induced CD62P-expression remained high and the fraction of PAC-1 binding decreased during storage. WB PLTs underwent only small changes in CD62P expression and PAC-1 binding from day 7 to day 21.

This study found PLT aggregation in WB stored at 4°C to be as least as good as for BCP and AP stored at 20°C. WB retained significant PLT-aggregation capacity to day 21.