A prophylactic PLT transfusion trigger level of less than 10 x 10(9) PLTs per L instead of less than 30 x 10(9) PLTs per L in allogeneic HPC transplant recipients was found to be safe and resulted in a decreased use of PLTs.

In vitro characteristics of platelets stored in PAS with addition of potassium and magnesium indicated higher quality, but this could not be verified by the in vivo parameters by means of recovery and survival.

Background The INTERCEPT Blood System for Platelets (PLT) utilizes amotosalen (S-59) in combination with ultraviolet A (UVA) light to inactivate viruses, bacteria, protozoa and leucocytes that may contaminate PLT concentrates. However, limited data are available on the quality of INTERCEPT-treated double-dose (DD) buffy-coat (BC) PLT units allowing a single treatment procedure to produce two pathogen-inactivated PLT units for transfusion. Study Design and MethodsThe objective of this study was to evaluate potential in vitro effects of the INTERCEPT treatment on pools of 7 BCs as compared to untreated units. Functional, phenotypic and mitochondrial properties of DD BC PLTs during storage over 7 days were studied.Results For some parameters measured, small yet significant differences were observed including PLT count (P < 0Á05), pH, pCO 2 and glucose concentration. Throughout storage, no significant differences were observed in ATP levels, ESC, HSR reactivity and CD62P expression. Similarly, no differences were observed in the expression of PAC-1, CD42b and PECAM-1 at any time-points. The mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) determined by JC-1-labelling was well maintained until day 7 in all treated and untreated units (>90%). The release of sCD40L increased over time (P < 0Á01) in all units but without any significant differences between treated and untreated PLTs.Conclusion Our data demonstrate that photochemical pathogen inactivation of DD-BC PLT concentrates with the INTERCEPT Blood System had no influence on the PLT in vitro quality over the 7 day of storage. However, whether in vivo efficacy of INTERCEPT-treated PLTs is affected may require clinical evaluation.

Background and objectives Commercial blood bags are predominantly made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plasticized with di(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). DEHP is favourable for storage of red blood cells (RBC). Historically, removal of DEHP from blood bags has been linked to unacceptable haemolysis levels. Oncoming regulatory restrictions for DEHP due to toxicity concerns increase the urgency to replace DEHP without compromising RBC quality. Di(2‐ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHT) is one suggested substitute. The aim of this study was to compare PVC‐DEHT to PVC‐DEHP blood bags using additive solutions saline–adenine–glucose–mannitol (SAGM) and phosphate–adenine–glucose–guanosine–saline–mannitol (PAGGSM), to determine whether DEHT can maintain acceptable component quality. Materials and methods RBC concentrates (N = 64), platelet concentrates (N = 16) and fresh frozen plasma (N = 32) were produced from whole blood collected into either DEHT or DEHP plasticized systems. Using a pool‐and‐split study design, pairs of identical RBC content were created within each plasticizer arm and assigned either SAGM or PAGGSM. Storage effects were assessed weekly for 49 days (RBC), 7 days (platelets) and before/after freezing (plasma). Results Though haemolysis was slightly higher in DEHT, all study arms remained below half of the European limit 0·8%. K+ was lower in DEHT than in DEHP independent of additive solution. The metabolic parameters were not influenced by choice of plasticizer. Platelet activation/metabolism and plasma content were similarly preserved. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that the plasticizer DEHT provides adequate blood component quality. We propose DEHT as a strong future candidate for replacement of DEHP in blood bags.