Paired crossover study of two plateletpheresis systems concerning platelet product quality and donor comfort

Abstract

Only minor differences were observed despite the fact that the AC separators are run with two needles and the TA with one needle.

Residual aggregates in platelet products: what do we know?

“…The second group of residual aggregates are characterized by their smaller size (<1 mm), often no more than the size of a pinhead, and are often referred to as microaggregates. They are less frequent, but when they occur, they may persist up to the end of storage . In some cases, depending on the standard operating procedure of the blood bank, these microaggregates may prevent the products from being released for transfusion and thus lead to product loss.…”

“…More recently, Flesch et al . compared the two apheresis platforms Amicus and Trima Accel® (Terumo BCT) and found reversible micro‐ and macroscopically visible aggregates in 11% (10/91) of the Amicus and 1% (1/91) of the Trima, and 1/91 (1·1%) of irreversible aggregates in Amicus vs. 0/91 (0%) in Trima‐derived PLT concentrates. Similar results were reported by Skripchenko et al .…”

“…In the early days of the preparation of buffy‐coat‐derived PLT concentrates, clumps had been observed in the buffy coats after initial centrifugation, and longer storage of those buffy coats seemed to be associated with a higher PLT activation level . In contrast, PLT aggregation in apheresis‐derived PLT products – sometimes referred to as ‘postpump clumping’ or ‘friendly clumping’ – may also be related to the exposure of PLTs to centrifugal forces and shear stress (pumps) during collection which may lead to increased activation and possibly aggregation . For both kinds of PLT products, however, temperature changes during the manufacturing process may be of relevance with regard to the formation of clumps.…”

“…PLT aggregates may dissipate during rest periods and agitation . However, in some rare cases, the aggregates do not dissipate within 24 h postcollection and can persist longer even throughout the storage period . Although aggregates occur regularly in PLT products, their relevance in terms of their impact on product quality, clinical efficacy and safety has never been systematically studied and publications referring to this aspect of PLT quality are scarce and often contain very limited information.…”

Plateletpheresis: the Process, Devices, and Indicators of Product Quality

“…According to these reports, the single-needle Amicus and single-needle Trima Accel have the highest CE and CR [3,8,9,10,58]. Flesch et al [21] reported that the double-needle Amicus and the single-needle Trima Accel showed similar platelet yields and donation times.…”