ABSTRACT. The effects of whole blood storage time on platelet aggregation and on post-transfusion platelet survival time were assessed in dogs. Citrate phosphate dextrose adenine-1 (CPDA-1) was used as a blood cell preservative. Storage time dependent decay of platelet aggregability was assessed. Platelet aggregation responses to collagen and ADP were maintained for at least 8 hr at room temperature. During blood storage, immunoglobulin became nonspecifically bound to platelets, suggesting the potential for immune destruction of platelets by the mononuclear phagocyte system after transfusion. To assess this assumption, the survival times of infused platelets, which were stored for 0 to 8 hr in whole blood, were measured. Post-transfusion survival of platelets was not affected by these storage times. These results suggest that canine platelets maintain viability when stored at room temperature for up to 8 hr in CPDA-1 treated whole blood intended for transfusion.

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