Multi-Day Storage of Platelets at Room Temperature in a Container With High Oxygen Permeability

The performance of platelet concentrates (PCs) for transfusion is greatly limited by their short shelf life. A highly oxygen-permeable container (PO-80, Kawasumi, Tokyo) was developed as an approach to extending the shelf-life of PCs. Here, we compared PCs containing a high number of platelets (4×1011/250mL plasma/bag) stored in a PO-80 container with those stored in a standard bag (control) (PL2410, Baxter Healthcare, USA) by monitoring platelet biochemical and functional parameters for up to 9 days.Three of six bags in the control bags had a pH below 6.2 by day 7. These PCs also showed the disappearance of swirling, a rapid drop in glucose combined with a marked increase in lactic acid, accelerated P-selectin expression on platelets and an earlier decrease in both %HSR and aggregation of platelets in the observation period. In contrast, only one of six bags had a pH below 6.2 by day 9 in the PO-80 container. Further, there was no disappearance of swirling. Other biochemical and functional parameters of PCs in PO-80 showed a slower change compared with those in the control bag. Overall, the in vitro characteristics of PCs showed a lower level of deterioration over 9 days when stored in a higher oxygen-permeable container than in a conventional bag. It is suggested that this newly developed highly oxygen-permeable PO-80 container will preserve adequate platelet function for longer storage periods and with higher PC yields.