Buffy coat pooled platelet concentrate: A new age platelet component

Area of Science:

• Blood Component Therapy
• Transfusion Medicine
• Hematology

Background:

• Buffy coat pooled platelet concentrate (BCPP) is a novel blood product combining benefits of random donor and apheresis platelets.
• BCPP offers high platelet counts, leukoreduction, and emergency availability.
• This study evaluates BCPP quality and safety against apheresis platelet concentrate (AP-PC).

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare quality parameters and biochemical activation markers of BCPP and AP-PC.
• To establish the quality and safety of BCPP during storage.
• To assess the impact of leukoreduction and platelet additive solution (PAS) on BCPP quality.

Main Methods:

• Three BCPP preparations were tested: non-leukoreduced (A), leukoreduced (B), and leukoreduced with PAS (C).
• Each BCPP unit comprised 15 pooled buffy coats, equivalent to 5 buffy coat units.
• Quality assessments included pH, lactate, soluble p-selectin, and inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α) over 5 days, with AP-PC as control.

Main Results:

• BCPP Part C (leukoreduced with PAS) showed the best quality, maintaining pH, minimizing lactate, and reducing sP-selectin and inflammatory mediators.
• On day 5, BCPP Part C had the highest pH (6.64) and lowest sP-selectin (149 ng/ml).
• Leukoreduced BCPP (Part B) and AP-PC exhibited comparable quality and activation markers.

Conclusions:

• Buffy coat pooled platelets, particularly leukoreduced with PAS, offer comparable or superior quality control parameters to conventional platelet preparations.
• BCPP is a valuable alternative for meeting urgent platelet transfusion needs in critical patients, especially in resource-limited settings.