Effect of storage time on clinical efficacy of single-donor platelet units

Decrements in platelet function and recovery are known to accumulate during the 5-day storage period, and the clinical response to platelets transfused after several days' storage has been suggested by some researchers to be less than that seen with platelets stored for shorter periods. The clinical response to single-donor platelet (SDP) units (as measured by corrected count increments [CCIs] and intertransfusion intervals) was investigated in autologous bone marrow transplant patients. Twenty-seven consecutive autologous bone marrow transplant patients with a variety of hematologic and solid organ malignancies were evaluated for posttransfusion CCIs after 419 SDP transfusions of units stored for 1 to 5 days. Patients were not excluded from the study because of clinical condition, such as fever or sepsis. The mean 15-minute posttransfusion CCI for SDP units stored for only 1 day (11,006 +/- 5,157) was no different than that for units stored for 5 days (10,225 +/- 4,481; p > 0.05); 24-hour posttransfusion CCIs were also not different if the SDP unit had been stored for 1 day or 5 days (6229 +/- 4489 vs. 4786 +/- 2759; p > 0.05) or for any intermediate period. Nor were intertransfusion intervals affected by storage time. While platelets may exhibit a progressive lesion during the 5-day storage period, these changes do not result in a decreased clinical response.