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Updated: Jan 5, 2026
Author Spotlight: Cryopreservation of Whole Blood Samples for High Throughput Analysis
Published on: February 23, 2024
Short-Term Stability of Hematologic Parameters in Frozen Whole Blood
Olive Tang1, Elizabeth Selvin2,3, Valerie Arends4
1Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD.
Background:
Complete blood counts (CBCs) are commonly obtained in large multicenter studies. We assessed the stability of 10 parameters after short-term (up to 30 days) frozen storage.
Methods:
We compared CBC measurements from fresh samples (n = 53) with samples stored for up to 30 days at -70 °C. We calculated the CVs and intraclass correlation coefficients.
Results:
Mean values of most parameters, with the exception of hemoglobin and platelet count, were significantly different by 15 days of storage. White blood cell count (CV, 38.3%; 95% CI, 31.3%-46.2%) and red cell distribution width (CV, 37.7%; 95% CI, 34.1%-41.3%) were the most variable. After 30 days, only hemoglobin remained stable and reliable (CV, 0.8%; 95% CI, 0.4%-1.3%).
Conclusions:
Hemoglobin remained stable in frozen blood samples stored for up to 30 days at -70 °C and may be reliably used in research studies using short-term frozen specimens. Other CBC parameters measured in stored blood are not sufficiently reliable for research or patient care.
