Improvement of Blood Processing and Safety by Automation and Pathogen Reduction Technology

Introduction: The objective of the present study was to describe the experience of the Blood and Tissues Bank of Aragon with the Reveos (R) Automated Blood Processing System and Mirasol (R) Pathogen Reduction Technology (PRT) System, comparing retrospectively routine quality data obtained in two different observation periods. Methods: Comparing quality data encompassing 6,525 blood components from the period 2007-2012, when the semi-automated buffy coat method was used in routine, with 6,553 quality data from the period 2014-2019, when the Reveos system and subsequently the Mirasol system were implemented in routine. Results: Moving from buffy coat to Reveos led to decreased discard rates of whole blood units (1.2 to 0.1%), increased hemoglobin content (48.1 +/- 7.6 to 55.4 +/- 6.6 g/unit), and hematocrit (58.9 +/- 6.5% to 60.0 +/- 4.9%) in red blood cell concentrates. Platelet concentrates (PCs) in both periods had similar yields (3.5 x10(11)). Whereas in the earlier period, PCs resulted from pooling 5 buffy coats, in the second period 25% of PCs were prepared from 4 interim platelet units. The mean level of factor VIII in plasma was significantly higher with Reveos (92.8 vs. 97.3 IU). Mirasol PRT treatment of PCs reduced expiry rates to 1.2% in 2019. One septic transmission was reported with a non-PRT treated PCs, but none with PRT-treated PCs. Conclusion: Automation contributed to standardization, efficiency, and improvement of blood processing. Released resources enabled the effortless implementation of PRT. The combination of both technologies guaranteed the self-sufficiency and improvement of blood safety.