Background: There is increasing international interest in producing components from blood that has been stored at room temperature for 24 hours. The lack of comprehensive data on the quality of plasma produced from blood stored in this way led to this international study.
Study design and methods: A total of 128 units of whole blood were pooled in groups of four and split to produce 32 sets of four identical blood units that were processed either within 8 hours of blood collection or after 24-hour storage at 18 to 25°C.
Results: Storage of whole blood for 24 hours resulted in a 23% decrease in the activity of Factor (F)VIII, but not significant loss of activity of coagulation factors FV, FVII, FXI, FXII, fibrinogen, antithrombin, or von Willebrand factor. There was a small, but significant decrease in levels of FII, FIX, and FX (all <5%) as well as protein C (6%) and free protein S activity (14%). The ability of plasma to generate thrombin after 24-hour storage as whole blood was unaltered, as assessed by real-time thrombin generation tests as was the rate and strength of clot formation by rotational thombelastometry. Levels of all coagulation factors measured were above 0.50 U/mL in plasma produced from whole blood stored for 24 hours.
Conclusion: These data show that there is minimal effect of storing whole blood at ambient temperature for 24 hours on the coagulation activity of plasma and that this is an acceptable alternative to producing plasma on the day of blood collection.
© 2010 American Association of Blood Banks.