With technical assistance from

SYNOPSIS Platelet survival was determined using untreated and siliconed glass bottles and plastic bags (Fenwal) for collecting and storing blood. The platelets were tagged in vivo with p32 in six polycythaemic patients undergoing treatment with P32. The results showed that fresh ACD blood collected in untreated glass, siliconed glass, and plastic gave the same recovery of platelets in the recipients. The use of EDTA (Fenwal formula) as anticoagulant gave results inferior to those obtained with blood using ACD as anticoagulant. Even after storage up to 24 hours in untreated glass bottles (ordinary bank blood) a satisfactory recovery of platelets was observed. After storage for 72 hours the recovery was less but not negligible. We have tried to solve part of the problem of preserving platelets for subsequent transfusion and for use in extracorporeal circulation by determining the survival of platelets in blood delivered in different containers, using ACD and EDTA as anticoagulant and storing the blood for periods of varying length before transfusion. It is difficult to determine th