1. Blood Preservation and Storage

2. blood is collected as whole blood, as shown below:
Blood can be stored as whole blood (with all of the plasma present) or, much more commonly, as packed red blood cells (PRBC's) in which about 70% of the plasma has been removed.

4. This is done by light centrifugation, as shown below:

5. The plasma with platelets can then be expressed off, leaving packed red blood cells (PRBC's) as shown here:
Both whole blood and PRBC's can be stored for up to 42 days at degrees C.

6. The plasma can be centrifuged heavily a second time to separate the platelet rich plasma, as shown below:

7. The supernatant plasma can be expressed into a third bag and stored as fresh frozen plasma (FFP). The remaining platelet rich plasma is utilized as a platelet pack, as shown below:
Platelets
PRBC
FFP
As can be seen in the above diagram, a single donation of whole blood has supplied three separate components (packed red blood cells, platelets, fresh frozen plasma) that can potentially benefit three different patients.

10. After the expiration date, rare or valuable blood units can be "rejuvenated" with a biochemical solution that restores much of the original biochemical environment of the RBC's. The "rejuvenated" units are "washed" with saline in an automated device and then can be transfused as a saline-red blood cell suspension within 2 to 4 hours, or these units can be stored glycerolized and frozen for up to 10 years.
Cryopreservation of RBC's is done to store special, rare RBC's for up to 10 years. The RBC's are first incubated in a 40% glycerol solution which acts as an "antifreeze" within the cells. The units are then placed in special sterile containers in a deep freezer at less than -60 degrees C.

11. When test results are received, units suitable for transfusion are labeled and stored.
Red Cells are stored in refrigerators at 1-6˚C for up to 42 days
Platelets are stored at room temperature in agitators for up to five days
Plasma are frozen and stored in freezers for up to one year

12. Apheresis

13. APHERESIS, FROM THE Greek pheresis meaning “to take away,” involves the selective removal of blood constituents and returning the unused portion back to the donor

14. Separation Techniques
Separation by Centrifugation
In most apheresis instruments, centrifugal force separates blood into components on the basis of differences in density. The blood is pumped into a rotating bowl, in which layering of components occurs on the basis of their densities.
The desired fraction is diverted and the remaining elements are returned to the donor (or patient).

15. In the diagram below, the process is illustrated
In the diagram below, the process is illustrated. Whole blood is introduced into a chamber that is spinning, and the blood separates into components (P = plasma; PRP = platelet rich plasma; WBC = leukocytes; RBC = red blood cells) by gravity along the wall of the chamber. The component to be removed can be selected by moving the level of the aspiration device at the right. In this example, plasma is being removed.

16. Separation by Adsorption
Selective removal of a pathologic material has theoretical advantages over the removal of all plasma constituents. Centrifugal devices can be adapted to protocols that selectively remove specific soluble plasma constituents by exploiting the principles of affinity chromatography.
Selective removal of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia has been accomplished using immunoaffinity (anti-LDL) column.
Returning the depleted plasma along with the cellular components reduces or eliminates the need for replacement fluids.

17. Affinity column Plasma Contains LDL Anti-LDL Plasma without LDL
By Mohammed Abu-basha