Impact of repeated centrifugation prior to glycerolization on the quality of cryopreserved red blood cells.

BACKGROUND

Inadequate compaction of red blood cells (RBC) prior to glycerolization using the ACP® 215 system may lead to the rejection of cryopreserved units, a situation that poses particular challenges when dealing with rare phenotypes. While repeating the centrifugation step could correct this issue, no data currently exist regarding its impact on RBC quality.

STUDY DESIGN AND

METHODS

Pools of 3 ABO-isogroup red cell concentrates (RCC) were divided into three units and subjected to one (standard), two, or three centrifugations before glycerolization using the Valeri method. After storage at -80°C, units were thawed, deglycerolized, and stored for 7 days at 2-6°C in additive solution AS-3. Hemolysis, hematocrit, hemoglobin content, recovery, volume, and sterility were evaluated post-deglycerolization.

RESULTS

No significant differences were observed in hemolysis, hematocrit, or hemoglobin content between single, double, or triple centrifugation groups. All values were within quality thresholds. While recovery and final volume showed a downward trend after a third centrifugation, the differences were not statistically significant for recovery, and volume remained operationally acceptable.

CONCLUSION

Repeating the initial centrifugation step up to two times before glycerolization does not adversely affect the quality of cryopreserved RBCs processed with the ACP® 215. These findings support updating standard operating procedures to reduce unnecessary rejection of rare donor units due to initial centrifugation issues.