Methods of preserving platelets: cryopreservation as a reasonable option for its implementation in Argentina

Abstract

Platelets are one of the most widely used blood components in transfusion medicine, given their importance in the prevention of bleeding disorders in patients with multifactorial thrombocytopenia and Asian non-immunological etiology, as well as in the management of traumatic or blood-related surgical treatments. Given its extensive use and the constant demand for it to be used within the different procedures associated with medicine, it is the objective of both hemotherapy services and blood banks to ensure that blood product components are constantly available to meet such requirements. The main challenge with this resource is its short useful life (5–7 days) which limits its availability, especially in the Latin American context where the production of blood components as well as the resources allocated for this purpose by state entities to blood banks, are generally limited. Cryopreservation at –80°C using dimethylsulfoxide as a preservative solution is a technique used since the 1950s to prolong platelet survival, the improvement of which has been remarkable in recent years, thereby constituting an alternative solution to this problem.