© Science and Education Publishing DOI:10.12691/ijhd-1-1-7 Quality Parameters of Platelet Concentrate at Kenyatta National Hospital’s Blood Transfusion Unit

Abstract Background and objective: Platelet rich plasma-platelet concentrate (PRP-PC), were prepared and their quality parameters were assessed. Materials and methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study carried out from February 2010 and May 2010 to study various quality determinants of platelets prepared at the Kenyatta National Hospital. The objectives were to assess their quality using the following parameters: swirling, volume of the platelet concentrate, platelet count, WBC count and pH. Results: A total of 78 platelet concentrates were analyzed. The majority 54, (69.2%) were group O RhD+, Group O RhD- was the least frequent blood group at 1.3%. A total of 77, (98.7%) of all concentrates were RhD positive. Centrifugation of whole blood was performed according to set specifications for all (100 % n=78) concentrates. Separation was achieved using a separator but there was a prolonged delay of more than 1 hour before separation. Storage for all concentrates (100%, n=78) was in ambient temperature without temperature regulation. Agitation for all the concentrates (100%, n=78) was by circular motion in the horizontal plane. Only 51 % (40) of all concentrates fulfilled the minimum specification for platele