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Feasibility of routine ferritin testing for donor management: validation of delayed processing and demonstration of within donor reproducibility over time
Author(s) -
Stone Mars,
Brambilla Donald,
Murcia Karla,
Dimapasoc Melanie,
Cyrus Sherri,
Cable Ritchard G.,
Kiss Joseph E.,
Busch Michael P.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/trf.13793
Subject(s) - reproducibility , medicine , ferritin , chemistry , chromatography
BACKGROUND Understanding the effect of delayed processing of whole blood on plasma ferritin will inform the feasibility of both routine ferritin testing in donors and clinical research study design. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Whole blood tubes drawn from 16 donors were held at 4 ° C and centrifuged at 24‐hour intervals to assess plasma ferritin concentration up to 5 days after draw. Intraindividual variation over time was measured in 21 healthy donors in blood samples collected weekly for 4 weeks and then at 12 weeks. RESULTS No significant variation in plasma ferritin concentration was observed in blood stored at 4 ° C for up to 5 days after draw (p = 0.32). The estimated loss of 4.75% ferritin over 5 days was within the reported 5% variation of the assay. Moderate intraindividual variation occurs over time in both sexes, with variability increasing with the mean. No difference was detected between men and women in the regression of standard deviation on mean ferritin (p = 0.43). CONCLUSIONS Ferritin is stable in whole blood up to 5 days, demonstrating operational feasibility of its use in monitoring donor iron stores. Moderate fluctuations over time occur, but ferritin measurements are sufficiently reliable to determine donor iron status on the day of donation.