Nine days post-thawing red cell conservation in a synthetic medium: Study of erythrocyte deformability

Abstract

Recently, the cryobiology department of the Strasbourg blood bank developed a new synthetic protective medium, called ESOC, which allows 9 days’ storage of thawed red cells (RBC) at 4°C. The authors studied the biochemical parameters and the in vivo survival rate. In this work, we studied the filterability of thawed erythrocytes preserved in ESOC using a filtration method based on the initial flow rate. We tried to correlate deformability with adenosine-triphosphate and 2,3-diphospho-glycerate levels, and with membrane protein electrophoresis. The same investigations were made on thawed RBC kept without any preservative medium, in physiological saline, and on fresh RBC concentrates stored in a liquid state, in SAG-Mannitol and ADSOL. After 9 days’ post-thawing storage in ESOC, filterability, viability and respiratory function of the RBC were as well maintained as after 5 days’ storage of fresh RBC in SAG-M and ADSOL. This expiration delay of 9 days fulfills the requirements of most cases of delayed transfusion of thawed blood.