Eight-hour versus 24-h whole-blood hold before preparation of platelet concentrates by the platelet-rich plasma method

Background Platelet concentrates (PCs) can be prepared by immediate processing of fresh whole blood (WB); alternatively, they can be prepared from WB stored overnight at room temperature. For blood centers, extension of WB storage time from 8 to 24 h would very useful because of significant operational and logistical benefits. This work was carried out to assess the quality of PCs prepared from WB that had been held overnight at ambient temperature compared with that of PCs prepared from fresh WB donations over a 5-day storage period. Study design and methods Thirty units of WB were collected; 15 U were kept at room temperature for 6-8 h before platelet preparation (fresh group) and 15 U were kept in a controlled environment of 20-24°C for 22-24 h before platelet preparation (overnight group). Results PCs prepared after an 8-h or a 24-h hold were comparable in platelet count per PC. CD62P expression and pH values were significantly lower in PCs prepared from 24-h hold donations. Conclusion The quality of PC may in fact improve because of the ambient overnight hold period as evidenced by lower CD62P expression throughout the storage period, which indicates a lower level of platelet activation. The lower pH values detected in overnight PCs remained within the international acceptable range.