Background/Case Studies: Blood centers across the United States are experiencing increased demand for platelets, presenting challenges in meeting collection and production needs. We have experienced an average increase of 12% in platelet demand from 2020-2024. In response to the increased demand, our independent community blood center initiated the validation of an automated whole blood processing system (APS) within the component manufacturing laboratory in September 2024 to increase the number of whole blood derived pooled platelets manufactured. By the end of November 2024, 14 APS devices had been successfully validated and implemented into full operation. Whole blood–derived platelets processed through the APS were pooled in groups of five per dose and subsequently leukoreduced. This study evaluates the impact of APS implementation on both the availability of platelet doses and the quality of transfusable pooled platelet products.
Study
Design/Methods: Total pooled platelet doses manufactured during the pre-validation (June 2024 -August 2024) and the post-implementation period (December 2024-February 2025) of the APS were compared. Additionally, the mean platelet yields of transfusable doses during the months with the highest pooled platelet production, both before and after APS implementation, were analyzed.
Results/Findings: Productivity of pooled whole blood derived platelets increased with the introduction of the automated whole blood processing system (Figure 1). Platelet productivity increased from roughly 1200 platelet doses per month to over 1400 per month with a maximum of 1733 in December 2024.
In July 2024, most of the pooled platelet products had a mean yield of 3.5 * 10^11. By comparison, an increased mean yield of 4.2 * 10^11was observed in December 2024, indicating a measurable platelet yield improvement following APS implementation.
Conclusions: The implementation of the automated whole blood processing system has led to a marked improvement in both the quantity of pooled platelet production and the overall platelet yields per dose. As a result, our blood center has been better equipped to consistently meet the transfusion needs of our hospital partners. This increased efficiency has not only supported our efforts to maintain a stable and responsive platelet inventory but has also created new revenue opportunities by optimizing the use of collected whole blood units. Overall, the integration of this system has strengthened our platelet inventory management program and enhanced our ability to respond to rising clinical demand. Additionally, the observed increase in mean platelet yield from 3.5 * 10^11 in July 2024 to 4.2 * 10^11in December 2024 suggests that the implementation of APS contributed to enhanced production efficiency or optimization of pooling practices. This improvement may reflect better standardization and processing methods introduced by post-implementation of the APS.
