Which is safer source plasma for manufacturing in China: apheresis plasma or recovered plasma?

Demographic Characteristics and Lifestyle Habits of Chinese Plasma Donors: A Multicenter Study

BACKGROUND The demand for plasma and plasma products has increased in China, which has a short supply. Compared with whole blood donors, plasma donors and their donation behavior have received less attention. This study aimed to investigate the demographic characteristics and lifestyle habits of Chinese plasma donors. MATERIAL AND METHODS During 2018-2019, information on plasma donors was collected from blood product companies using a 25-item questionnaire, including sex, age, height, weight, blood group, donation frequency, occupation, smoking and drinking, and sleeping and dietary habits. RESULTS Among 15 497 plasma donors, 70.5% were women and 78.5% were aged 46-55 years. Among 4847 plasma donors, the average height of men was 169.5±6.2 cm and the average height of women was 157.0±4.6 cm. In addition, the average weight of men was 67.0±10.4 kg and the average weight of women was 60.0±8.3 kg. The prevalence of obesity (body mass index ≥30.0 kg/m²) of all donors was 14.8%; 14.7% of men were obese, and 15% of women were obese. Among all plasma donors, 88.8% were farmers and 60% were frequent donors with a donation history of at least 5 years. Among all donors, 84.0% did not smoke, 67.3% did not drink, and 95.1% reported good sleep quality. All respondents reported healthy dietary habits. CONCLUSIONS Healthy lifestyle habits considerably affect the health of plasma donors and the quality of source plasma. Chinese plasma donors in this study demonstrated imbalances in terms of characteristics, which became more marked with age.

Extending the pre-processing holding time of whole blood beyond 48 h reduces coagulation FVIII activity and immunoglobulin G content of recovered plasma

BACKGROUND

Plasma obtained via whole blood (WB) donation may be used either for transfusion or as recovered plasma (RP) for pooling and fractionation. In Canada, transfusable plasma must be processed within 24 h of phlebotomy, while the limit for RP processing is 72 h. We assessed the quality of RP produced by two WB processing methods and as a function of processing time.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

RP units produced via the buffy coat method (BCM, n = 26) or whole blood filtration (WBF, n = 52) were tested for: the activities of prothrombin, fibrinogen, von Willebrand Factor (VWF), FV, FVII, and FVIII; the prothrombin time (PT); and total protein and IgG concentration. WBF RP units were evenly divided between those processed <48 h of phlebotomy (shorter-processed) or 48-72 h after phlebotomy (longer-processed).

RESULTS

WBF-RP did not differ significantly from BCM-RP in any tested parameter except for FV and FVIII, which exhibited mean reductions of 10.2% and 20%, respectively. Longer-processed WBF-RP did not differ significantly from shorter-processed WBF-RP in any tested parameter except for FVIII activity and IgG concentration, which exhibited mean reductions of 30.1% and 14.3%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Canadian RP is currently fractionated into IgG, albumin, fibrinogen, and FVII/VWF concentrates irrespective of its method or time of processing. Our results supported the current approach of fractionating both BCM- and WBF-derived RP, but suggest that greater yields of immunoglobulin and FVIII/VWF products could be obtained if the maximum processing time was reduced from 72 h to 48 h.

Effects of donor age, donor sex, blood-component processing, and storage on cell-derived microparticle concentrations in routine blood-component preparation

BACKGROUND

A number of factors cause increases in the number of cell-derived microparticles (MPs) in blood components. However, the overall effects of these factors on the concentration of MPs during routine blood-component preparation have not fully been elucidated.

AIM

To evaluate the effects of donor age, donor sex, blood-component preparation, and storage on MP concentrations.

METHODS

Flow cytometry was used to quantitate the number of whole blood-derived MPs.

RESULTS

The total MP concentration was similar in male and female donors (26,044 ± 1254 particles/μL vs. 27,696 ± 1584 particles/μL). The total MP concentration did not differ significantly among the different age groups: 18-30 years (28,730 ± 1600 particles/μL), 31-40 years (24,972 ± 5947 particles/μL), and 41-58 years (25,195 ± 1727 particles/μL). However, the total number of MPs in fresh plasma (152,110 ± 46,716 particles/μL) was significantly higher (p <  0.05) than that in unprocessed whole blood (26,752 ± 985 particles/μL), fresh packed red blood cells (PRBCs) (28,574 ± 1028 particles/μL), and platelet concentrate (PC) (33,072 ± 1858 particles/μL). Furthermore, the total numbers of MPs in stored PRBCs and fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) were significantly higher (p <  0.05) than those in fresh PRBCs and fresh plasma, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The study suggests that donor factors, blood-component processing and storage contribute to the MP concentration in routine blood-product preparation. The findings can improve quality control and management of blood-product manufacturing in routine transfusion laboratories.