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The ‘cherry buffy‐coat syndrome’, a cause of decreased platelet yield in platelet concentrates obtained from buffy‐coats
Author(s) -
Rebulla P.,
Smacchia C.,
Greppi N.,
Porretti L.,
Lopa R.,
Cernuschi M.,
Sirchia G.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
vox sanguinis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.68
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1423-0410
pISSN - 0042-9007
DOI - 10.1046/j.1423-0410.2001.00005.x
Subject(s) - buffy coat , platelet , medicine , biology , immunology
Background and Objectives A large number of European blood centres, including our own, use the buffy‐coat method for platelet production. In this article we describe a previously unnoticed phenomenon shown by a proportion of buffy‐coats, which display an unusually bright cherry colour and low platelet counts. Materials and Methods We performed bacterial cultures, platelet counts, pO 2 , pCO 2 and pH, and evaluated platelet activation by flow cytometry in cherry versus normal‐colour (control) buffy‐coats. In addition, we compared donor characteristics in the two groups and platelet counts in the packed red blood cells (RBC) obtained from the original donations. Finally, we monitored the frequency of cherry buffy‐coats in the bags of three manufacturers, and determined the concordance rate of two trained technicians in detecting cherry buffy‐coats. Results Bacterial cultures were negative. Cherry buffy‐coats contained significantly fewer platelets, more O 2 , less CO 2 and had a significantly higher pH than normal buffy coats. Platelet activation was slightly higher in cherry buffy‐coats. RBC from donations yielding cherry buffy‐coats contained a significantly higher number of platelets than controls. Donor characteristics were not significantly different. Cherry buffy‐coats were significantly more frequent with bags from one manufacturer (24%) than from others (9% and 11·6%). The concordance study showed excellent agreement. Conclusions Our hypothesis is that the cherry colour is caused by O 2 accumulation in buffy‐coats with low platelet counts. The latter may be caused by platelet activation and aggregation during blood processing. Further work is needed to determine the cause of this phenomenon, its frequency in different laboratories and means to prevent it.