Evaluation of the quality of platelet concentrates obtained in a Peruvian hospital

Abstract

Introduction Platelet concentrates are blood products obtained from donor’s blood, and their conservation must be subject to a strict quality control process to guarantee a safe and high-performance product in treating diseases that require their use. Methods We designed a cross-sectional study to determine the total compliance rate in platelet concentrates obtained in the blood bank of the Cayetano Heredia Hospital in Lima during November and December of 2019. The Buffy method Coat obtained the platelet concentrates, and parameters such as platelet count and residual leukocytes, pH, and swirling effect were evaluated according to the National Hemotherapy and Blood Bank Program criteria. Results The platelet count had a mean of 6.66 ± 3.94 x 10¹⁰/µL, the platelet concentrates had a mean of 56.30 ± 6.22 mL, and all, without exception, had the presence of the Swirling phenomenon. The pH had a mean of 7.64 ± 0.15, while the leukocyte count had a mean of 4.22 ± 3.51 x 10⁷/µL. Regarding compliance by the parameters evaluated, it was evident that the platelet and leukocyte count had moderate compliance rates of 43.6% and 24.1%, while the pH and swirling effect had rates of 100% in both cases. The total compliance rate was 54.9% (95% confidence interval: 46.0 to 63.5). Conclusions The compliance rate of platelet concentrates is moderate, and it is necessary to implement a process of continuous quality improvement in the blood bank.

Keywords

• blood platelets
• quality control
• blood bank