CaridianBCT Solutions for RBCs
Trima Accel Collection System
COBE Spectra Apheresis System
Atreus Whole Blood Processing System
Red Blood Cells
Oxygen transport for the blood
Hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells gives the red blood cells their red color and carries oxygen to our vital organs and tissues. Hematocrit is the percentage of red cells found in whole blood. Because the hematocrit is an index of the red cell concentration in the blood, it is an indicator of how much oxygen the blood is able to carry.
Average hematocrit:
Adult males: 46% — 54%
Adult females: 38% — 44%
Your body constantly produces red cells, because they live and circulate throughout the body for a maximum of 120 days. New red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow.
Who needs red cells?
Red cell transfusions raise a patient's hematocrit and hemoglobin values. These transfusions go to patients with chronic anemia caused by a variety of ailments, including kidney failure, cancer, and gastrointestinal bleeding. Red cells are also used to correct significant blood loss caused by surgery or severe trauma. Transfusion of red cells is the most common type of blood transfusion.
In some disease states the hemoglobin in the red cells is abnormal which makes the red cells unable to deliver oxygen as effectively as they should. This prevents them from transporting oxygen as well as healthy cells can. To prevent damage to cells, patients with this condition undergo Red Blood Cell Exchange. Using a cell separator such as CaridianBCT's COBE Spectra Apheresis System, the patient has unhealthy red cells removed from the blood. These unhealthy cells get replaced with a transfusion of healthy, donated red cells. Red Blood Cell Exchange is a treatment for sickle cell disease, malaria, and thalassemia.
Diseases such as polycythemia vera cause patients to have too many red blood cells. In the more severe cases, these patients receive Red Blood Cell Depletions to remove some of their red cells. This procedure is also performed using a cell separation device.
How many units of red cells do patients typically receive?
The number of red blood cells transfused per patient varies from one or two to more than 100 units, depending on the underlying reason for the blood loss.
How long do donated red cells last?
Donated red blood cells have a shelf life of 21, 35, or 42 days, depending on the anticoagulant and storage solutions used. Red cells collected using the Trima Accel Collection System have a shelf life of 42 days. Specially treated red cells may be frozen to extend their storage for up to 10 years.
Collecting red blood cells through automation
Apheresis allows a single donor to give enough to make multiple transfusable red blood cell products. An apheresis donation, performed on blood collection systems such as the Trima Accel Collection System and the COBE Spectra Apheresis System, collects only the needed components from a donor and returns the remainder of the blood back to the donor.
Processing red blood cells through automation
Whole blood collections are separated into the three components — platelets, red blood cells, and plasma. Historically this separation process has been relatively manual and required multiple steps. The Atreus System provides a self-contained, automated manufacturing system to process blood components from whole blood units.
Find out more about the other major blood components, plasma and platelets. You can also download a brochure explaining Red Blood Cell Exchange and Depletion and find out how to increase your red cell donations with an automated collections program.
[ Feedback ]