[Erythrocyte concentrates, low in buffy coat: production, preservation and evaluation of its quality]

Buffy coat-poor packed red cells were prepared from fresh ACD-, ACD-AG- and EDTA-blood, than resuspended with a preservation solution, containing glucose, adenine, guanosine, sucrose, citric acid and sodium citrate and stored at 4 degrees C for 6 weeks. The survival rate of resuspended red cells from ACD-AG-blood amounted to 77% after 6 weeks of storage. The ATP content of resuspended red cells was approximately 25% lower than in ACD-AG whole blood during storage caused probably by increased ATP consuming reactions at the red cell membrane. The P2G-content of resuspended red cells from ACD- and ACD-AG-blood decreased above 50% of the normal level during the first week, as fast as in ACD- and ACD-AG whole blood. The P2G-breakdown in red cells from EDTA-blood was delayed for a week due to the higher pH as in CPD blood. Additions of xylitol, inorganic phosphate, and bicarbonate in 6, 5 and 20 mM final concentrations in the red cell suspensions and an increased pH at the same time delayed the breakdown of ATP and P2G. Packed red cells can be administered fast enough at hematocrits to 0.60 that will be achieved by adding 50 to 100 ml preservation solution. Leukocytes and thrombocytes were reduceds to 70 to 80%. With increasing rate of reduction a higher loss of red cells occured. Buffy coat-poor red cell concentrate contains only few microaggregates. It diminishes the risc of febrile transfusion reactions and delays the appearance of alloimmunisation. The circulatory overload of patients is less frequent than after transfusions of red cell resuspensions containing a large resuspension volume.