Background/Case Studies: In the United States, platelet shortages have become common, with many hospitals reporting platelet shortages at least once per month. Currently, most platelet units in the United States are collected by apheresis, which requires donors to sit for lengthy procedures and thus limits the number of collections that can be performed each day. One way in which platelet shortages may be alleviated is by collecting whole blood-derived platelets (WBDP). In 2023, the US FDA cleared the Reveos™ Automated Whole Blood Processing System (Terumo BCT, Lakewood, CO) to process whole blood into platelets and other components in a single centrifugation cycle. In January 2025, four Reveos devices were installed at a blood center in the southeastern United States to help improve WBDP production efficiency and alleviate strain on platelet inventory.
Study
Design/Methods: Implementation and validation data were tracked and recorded. Upon routine use, the number of platelet pools produced per week by the Reveos system was recorded, and the number of pools made with 4 vs. 5 interim platelet units was monitored. As whole blood can only be held at room temperature for up to 8 hours, the distance of collection sites to the central processing facility was also assessed.
Results/Findings: The validation process took four weeks (January 29 – March 1, 2025), with routine use beginning on March 3, 2025. Since the start of routine use, 15-19 platelet pools per week have been produced using the Reveos system. From March 3 – May 1, 2025, a total of 133 platelet pools were distributed to local hospitals. Of these pools, 60% were produced by pooling platelets from 5 individual donors versus 40% were pools from 4 individual donors. All units (100%) collected from 4 satellite sites within a 65-mile radius of the central processing facility were processed within 8 hours of collection, although this required scheduling of additional pick-up times on days with longer blood drives.
Conclusions: The Blood Center was able to implement the Reveos system and begin routine use within a few weeks, allowing for a more flexible platelet inventory. Although processing whole blood within 8 hours is a logistical challenge, this time limit was met by collecting units intended for WBDP production from sites nearer to the processing facility and by strategically scheduling additional pick-ups on longer collection days.
