BLOOD COMPONENTS: The quality of stored umbilical cord and adult‐donated whole blood in Mombasa, Kenya

BACKGROUND: In sub‐Saharan Africa umbilical cord blood may be a useful source of blood for transfusion. Before clinical trials, evidence is needed that cord blood donations, which vary greatly in volume, can be collected and stored into a fixed volume of anticoagulant‐preservative solution obviating the need for prestorage processing.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty‐four umbilical cord whole blood (UC‐WB) donations were collected into 21 mL of CPDA‐1 and refrigerated for 35 days. The Kenya Blood Transfusion Service provided 12 adult‐donated whole blood (AD‐WB) controls. Supernatant hemoglobin (Hb) and potassium were assayed at 7‐day intervals.RESULTS: UC‐WB red blood cell hemolysis and potassium loss increased throughout storage but did not differ significantly with cord blood volume. Hemolysis rates did not differ significantly between UC‐WB and AD‐WB but UC‐WB potassium loss was slightly but significantly greater than AD‐WB on Days 2, 7, and 14 (p < 0.05). In the AD‐WB controls, eight were low volume (<405 mL), two had total Hb of less than 45 g, and two showed hemolysis greater than 0.8% by Day 28.CONCLUSION: Variable volumes of UC‐WB can be stored for 35 days without prestorage processing and further work into its suitability for transfusion to children is justified. The quality of conventional AD‐WB is a concern and needs further evaluation.