Preparation of blood components with saline-adenine-glucose-phosphate-maltose quadruple-pack system

A saline-adenine-glucose-phosphate-maltose (SAGP-maltose) quadruple-pack system was devised to improve the conventional method of preparing blood components. One of the features of this method is that high-speed centrifugation was used as the initial spin in the two-step centrifugation of whole blood. This feature permitted the removal of the buffy coat from red cells at the same time the platelets were isolated. Since the platelets were concentrated without forming a button, the damage to the platelets due to mechanical stress in preparation was minimized. Another major feature was the use of the SAGP-maltose solution. Maltose effectively prevented hemolysis during storage in a protein-poor medium for preserving red cells. Judging from the red cell adenosine triphosphate level and morphology score, it should be possible to store red cells for 35 to 42 days in SAGP-maltose preservative. In addition, approximately 25 percent more plasma was collected in the present system than in conventional multiple-pack systems.