RESEARCH ARTICLE Erythrocyte Concentrates Recovered from Under-Collected Whole Blood: Experimental and Clinical Results

Background Although periodic blood shortages are widespread in major Chinese cities, approximately 1x105 U of whole blood are discarded yearly because of under-collection. To reduce the wastage of acid citrate dextrose solution B (ACD-B) anticoagulated under-collected whole blood (UC-WB), this study was performed to elucidate the effect of extracellular pH and holding time on erythrocyte quality. Mannitol-adenine-phosphate (MAP) erythrocyte con-centrates (UC-RBCs) were prepared with UC-WB to assess the safety and efficacy of this component. Methods The effect of the different extracellular pH levels and storage times on erythrocytes was as-sessed by fluorescent probes, SDS-PAGE electrophoresis, electron microscopy and spec-troscopy. In vitro properties of 34 UC-RBCs that were prepared with UC-WB at different times after collection were analyzed and compared to normal RBCs during 35 days of stor-age. The results of transfusion with UC-RBCs and the incidence of adverse reactions in 4