Cryopreserved red blood cells for pediatric transfusion. Frozen storage of small aliquots in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic bags.

Abstract

Human nonrejuvenated and rejuvenated red bood cells were prepared for cryopreservation and subsequent pediatric transfusion. Glycerol was added to the red blood cells in the primary polyvinyl chloride plastic collection bag to achieve a concentration of 40 per cent W/V. The red blood cells were concentrated by centrifugation, and the supernatant glycerol was discarded. Each glycerolized unit was divided into four equal aliquots in the individual 600-ml bags of a dry quadruple polyvinyl chloride plastic system, and each aliquot was frozen and stored at -80 C. After thawing, sodium chloride solutions were used to wash the aliquots in the IBM Blood Processor 2991-1 or 2991-2 or the Haemonetics Blood Processor 115, and the washed aliquots were stored in a sodium chloride-glucose-phosphate solution at 4 C for 24 hours. Freeze-thaw recovery of the red blood cells was about 97 per cent, and freeze-thaw-wash recovery was about 84 per cent. Twenty-four-hour posttransfusion survival values were about 92 per cent for both nonrejuvenated and indated-rejuvenated red blood cells. Nonrejuvenated red blood cells, those frozen within three to five days of collection without biochemical modification, had normal oxygen transport function at the time of transfusion; rejuvenated red blood cells, those biochemically treated with PIGPA Solution A after three to five days of storage at 4 C, had improved oxygen transport function at the time of transfusion.