Overnight storage of whole blood: a comparison of two designs of butane-1,4-diol cooling plates

BACKGROUND: Whole blood (WB) can be stored overnight before processing, provided that it is quickly cooled to room temperature (20-25 degrees C), for example, with butane-1,4-diol plates. A new design of cooling plates became available (CompoCool-WB, Fresenius HemoCare), where WB must be placed vertically against the plates, versus placing of WB under plates in the current version (Compocool). This study compared cooling efficiency and in vitro quality of plasma and of stored white cell (WBC)-reduced red cells (RBCs) from overnight-stored WB, cooled with either of the systems. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Temperature curves following cooling with Compocool or CompoCool-WB were studied with a 25 percent glycerol solution as simulated WB. WB from voluntary donors was cooled with Compocool or CompoCool-WB, stored overnight at room temperature, centrifuged, and separated into components. WBC-reduced RBCs in SAGM were stored until Day 42 with measurement of in vitro parameters (n=23/group). RESULTS: Simulated WB reached a temperature of less than 25 degrees C after 2:15+/-1:04 hours for Compocool versus 1:39+/-0:38 hours for CompoCool-WB (p=0.02). On Day 35, RBCs had a hemolysis of 0.3+/-0.2 percent in both groups, and ATP levels were 3.3+/-0.5 and 3.6+/-0.5 micromol per g hemoglobin for Compocool and CompoCool-WB, respectively (not significant). Factor VIII content in plasma was 1.05+/-0.25 and 0.97+/-0.18 IU per mL for Compocool and CompoCool-WB, respectively. CONCLUSION: WB can be cooled to room temperature within 2 hours with both Compocool and CompoCool-WB butane-1,4-diol plates, improving temperature uniformity in WB donations. Application of either design for overnight storage of WB at room temperature had no adverse effects on the composition of subsequently prepared blood components.