Buffy Coat Platelets

Buffy CoatBuffy coat, produced from a whole blood donation, is a combination of platelets and white blood cells (WBCs), as well as small amounts of red blood cells (RBCs) and plasma.

Whole blood donations are separated into components via gravitational force in a centrifuge. The force of the centrifuge causes the whole blood to separate into layers based on cell density. The upper layer captured in the centrifuge is plasma. The middle layer is the buffy coat. The bottom, heaviest layer is packed red blood cells.

Why buffy coat?

In the mid-1970's, European blood centers began to remove the buffy coat from separated RBCs to prevent transfusion reactions — reactions mainly caused by the presence of WBCs. Researchers then made a valuable discovery: the buffy coat contained a high concentration of platelets, a blood component vital to blood clotting.

The majority of platelets collected during a whole blood donation are found in the buffy coat layer. To extract as many of these platelet as possible, buffy coats are pooled from many donations and re-spun in a centrifuge to separate the platelets from the rest of the buffy coat. The platelets collected contain some WBCs even after centrifugation, so the platelets are filtered to remove WBCs before storage and transfusion. This process is called leukoreduction.

How are buffy coat products used?

Platelets help the blood to clot. People with certain diseases like thrombocytopenia, leukemia, and other cancers have a reduced number of platelets in their bloodstreams. Without adequate platelets, they bleed abnormally and bruise easily. Regular platelet transfusions are essential treatment for these and other patients.

CaridianBCT and buffy coat

Typically, the process to create pooled, leukoreduced platelets from whole blood is time-consuming, labor-intensive and requires many manual steps. European blood centers face increasing regulatory challenges, partly due to the error-prone manual methods used for buffy coat processing. The Orbisac System helps blood centers with a more efficient system to process buffy coat. The Orbisac System merges the five steps necessary to create pooled platelets into one automated process. Note: The Orbisac System is not available for sale in the U.S.

Find out more about the Orbisac System for buffy coat processing. You can also read about blood safety issues related to component collection and transfusion.

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