Automated red cell collection – quality and value

Abstract

Automated red cell collection was initially used largely for therapeutic purposes. New technology has rendered the procedure safer for donors and easier for machine operators. Optimal additive solution can be automatically added and the red cells filtered to provide a leucodepleted product. Two units of red cells may be collected during a single procedure from individuals who have a high enough red cell mass, whilst a single unit of red cells plus platelets or plasma can be collected from smaller donors. In vitro studies suggested that red cells collected by automated methods would be of better quality than those collected by gravity. This was not confirmed in vivo, but red cells collected by automated methods have the major advantage of consistency in terms of haemoglobin content, volume and haematocrit, compared with red cells collected by gravity. This standardised product is of particular value for transfusion dependent patients as the patient's haemoglobin can be maintained within narrow limits. The use of a double dose red cell product for transfusion to a single patient also confers benefit in terms of reduction in donor exposure.

Double red cell concentrates -in vitro quality after delayed refrigeration

“…These include (i) efficiency, as more than one unit may be collected per procedure; (ii) safety, as a recipient may be given more than one unit from a single donor, thus reducing donor exposure and (iii) standardisation, as units have less variability in haemoglobin content compared with RCC prepared manually from whole blood (WB). The recent development of portable apheresis machines has added to these potential advantages by introducing the possibility of automated collections at mobile donation sessions, and these benefits have been comprehensively reviewed (Harrison, 2006).…”

Donor retention as a function of donor reactions to whole‐blood and automated double red cell collections

“…Additionally, 2RBC collections are more efficient, in that the proportion of RBC loss during preparation procedures is smaller than such loss after whole‐blood (WB) collection 10 . 2RBC units should thus offer clinicians greater quality and predictability in terms of the units they transfuse to patients 9,11 …”

Impairment of short‐term memory associated with low iron stores in a volunteer multidose plateletpheresis donor

“…Non‐anaemic iron deficiency has been described in both blood and apheresis donors (Harrison, 2006; Page & Harrison, 2007). To our knowledge, this is the first documented report of cognitive impairment in such a donor.…”