The elimination of a thorough manual mixing of whole blood (WB) which takes place following the overnight hold, but before the first centrifugation step, during buffy coat component production at Canadian Blood Services (CBS) was investigated. WB was pooled after donation and split. Pairs of platelet, red blood cell (RBC), and plasma components were produced, with half using the standard method and half using a method in which the mixing step was eliminated. Quality assessments included yield, pH, CD62P expression and morphology for platelets, hemoglobin, hematocrit, hemolysis, and supernatant K+ for RBCs, and volume and factor VIII activity levels for plasma. All components, produced using either method, met CBS quality control criteria. There were no significant differences in platelet yield between components produced with and without mixing. A significant difference was seen for RBC hemolysis at expiry ( ), but for both groups, levels met quality control requirements. Noninferiority of components produced without mixing was confirmed for all parameters. Manual mixing is laborious and has a risk of repetitive strain for production staff and its significance is unclear. Elimination of this step will improve process efficiencies without compromising quality. 1. Introduction Whole blood (WB) collection and storage and processing conditions can have critical consequences not only for the immediate quality of the resulting components but also for their long-term quality during storage. At Canadian Blood Services (CBS), production of pooled platelet components (PCs) is a semiautomated process in which WB is held overnight and then separated by a hard centrifugation step into RBCs, plasma, and buffy coats (BCs), from which PCs are subsequently produced [1, 2]. CBS current practice includes a thorough, manual mixing of WB units following the overnight hold immediately prior to the first centrifugation step. In consultation with the bag vendors, this step was introduced during the implementation of semiautomated component production at CBS [1] and was thought to improve the separation of platelets from the other components in blood and hence results in a higher platelet yield. In contrast with other mixing steps, such as the proper mixing of WB with anticoagulant at donation [3, 4], there is no evidence regarding the benefits of mixing WB immediately prior to centrifugation. Mixing of WB units does not appear to have been investigated previously nor does it appear in most descriptions of component production methods found in the literature, yet desired
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