Red blood cell preservation by droplet freezing with polyvinylpyrrolidone or sucrose-dextrose and by bulk freezing with glycerol

• Published in: Transfusion (Philadelphia, Pa.) Pa.), 2011-12, Vol.51 (12), p.2703-2708
• Main Authors: Schmid, Pirmin, Huvard, Michael J., Lee-Stroka, A. Hallie, Lee, Jae Y., Byrne, Karen M., Flegel, Willy A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Preservation - methods; Blood. Blood and plasma substitutes. Blood products. Blood cells. Blood typing. Plasmapheresis. Apheresis; Bone marrow, stem cells transplantation. Graft versus host reaction; Cryopreservation - methods; Cryoprotective Agents - pharmacology; Erythrocytes - cytology; Female; Glucose - pharmacology; Glycerol - pharmacology; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Plasma Substitutes - pharmacology; Povidone - pharmacology; Sucrose - pharmacology; Sweetening Agents - pharmacology; Time Factors; Transfusions. Complications. Transfusion reactions. Cell and gene therapy
• ISSN: 0041-1132; 1537-2995
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1537-2995.2011.03258.x

BACKGROUND: Red blood cell (RBC) preservation is essential to transfusion medicine. Many blood group reference laboratories need a method to preserve rare blood samples for serologic testing at a later date. This study offers a comparison of three common cryoprotective agents and protocols used today: bulk preservation with glycerol and droplet freezing with sucrose‐dextrose (S+D) or polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Human blood from 14 volunteers was collected and frozen at set intervals over 2 weeks with PVP, S+D, or glycerol. The frozen RBCs were later thawed and the percentage of surviving RBCs was determined. Detailed protocols and an instructional video are supplied. RESULTS: Over a 2‐week period, RBCs preserved with glycerol and thawed with a widely used protocol showed a recovery of 41 ± 16% (mean ± standard deviation) while those thawed with a modified glycerol protocol showed a recovery of 76 ± 8%. RBCs preserved by droplet freezing with S+D showed a recovery of 56 ± 11% while those preserved by droplet freezing with PVP showed a recovery of 85 ± 6%. Recovery values were similar with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or heparin anticoagulants, differing freezing rates, and varying droplet volumes. CONCLUSION: Droplet freezing with PVP offered the greatest recovery. While bulk freezing with glycerol can also be effective, droplet freezing may be a more convenient method overall. It requires less effort to thaw, needs much less storage room, and allows blood group laboratories to be frugal with thawing rare samples.