Storage of Blood for Transfusion in Domestic Refrigerators: Any Immune Consequences?

Samuel S. Antwi-Baffour^1*, Ransford Kyeremeh¹, Alhassan Shaibu², Jonathan Adjei¹, Mahmood S. Abdulai¹

¹Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
²The Accra Area Blood Collection Site of the Southern Area Blood Centre (SABC), the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.

DOI: 10.4236/oalib.1101909                

Abstract

Background: Blood storage particularly for transfusion is a common practice among Medical Laboratory Scientists. However, haemolysis of blood during storage is inevitable but the degree of occurrence is largely dependent on the mode of storage, which has not been fully investigated. Aim: The aim of this study was to measure and compare the extent of haemolysis in blood for transfusion stored in domestic and medical laboratory refrigerators. Methods: Haemolysis was compared from day one up to day thirty five of blood storage at an interval of seven days in domestic and medical laboratory refrigerators. 450 ml of whole blood from three donors was collected into blood bags. Each blood unit was divided into two and stored in the different refrigerators. Extent of haemolysis was determined by expressing the plasma haemoglobin as a percentage of the total haemoglobin. The student t-test was used to compare the differences in haemolysis. Results: The level of haemolysis was similar in both refrigerators at base line (domestic = 0%, medical = 0%). However at day 35 of storage, the haemolysis was significantly greater (P = 0.031) in the domestic refrigerator as compared to the medical laboratory refrigerator (domestic = 3.1% ± 0.4%, medical = 0.9% ± 0.1%). Conclusion: There was a high degree of haemolysis in the domestic refrigerator than the medical laboratory refrigerator. The domestic refrigerator therefore does not meet the quality and the standards required for blood storage for transfusion.

Keywords

Haemolysis, Blood Transfusion, Refrigerator, Plasma, Haemoglobin, Blood Storage

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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