title: Segments from red blood cell units should not be used for quality testing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nondestructive testing of blood components could permit in-process quality control and reduce discards. Tubing segments, generated during red blood cell (RBC) component production, were tested to determine their suitability as a sample source for quality testing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Leukoreduced RBC components were produced from whole blood (WB) by two different methods: WB filtration and buffy coat (BC). Components and their corresponding segments were tested on Days 5 and 42 of hypothermic storage (HS) for spun hematocrit (Hct), hemoglobin (Hb) content, percentage hemolysis, hematologic indices, and adenosine triphosphate concentration to determine whether segment quality represents unit quality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Segment samples overestimated hemolysis on Days 5 and 42 of HS in both BC- and WB filtration-produced RBCs (p < 0.001 for all). Hct and Hb levels in the segments were also significantly different from the units at both time points for both production methods (p < 0.001 for all). Indeed, for all variables tested different results were obtained from segment and unit samples, and these differences were not consistent across production methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The quality of samples from tubing segments is not representative of the quality of the corresponding RBC unit. Segments are not suitable surrogates with which to assess RBC quality.
authors.affiliation: Research and Development, Canadian Blood Services, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Canadian Blood Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Jayme D R
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Kurach
authors.forename: Adele L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Tracey R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: Jason P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Acker
mesh_terms: D001771:Blood Banks / Q000592:standards*; D001781:Blood Component Removal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards*; D016913:Blood Component Transfusion / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards*; D001793:Blood Preservation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards*; D006400:Hematocrit; D006454:Hemoglobins; D006801:Humans; D047589:Leukocyte Reduction Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards*; D011786:Quality Control
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins