Comparison of the platelet-rich plasma method and buffy-coat method for whole blood processing
| Method | Platelet-rich plasma | Buffy-coat |
|---|---|---|
| Centrifugation | Soft spin → hard spin | Hard spin → soft spin |
| Blood bag system | Top and top triple-blood bag | Top and bottom quadruple-blood bag |
| Time allowance | Within 8 hours | Within 24 hours |
| Advantages | ∙Simplicity preparation process [12] ∙Less equipment required [12] ∙Cost-effective with lower initial costs for preparation equipment and the primary bag system [12] |
∙Increased platelet and plasma yield [5] ∙Lower platelet activation (P-selectin or Annexin V) [8,9] ∙Reduced blood transfusion adverse reactions [10] ∙Lower bacterial contamination [11] ∙Improvement of blood bank workflow and logistics by overnight hold [1] ∙Availability of pre-existing commercial devices or protocols regarding automated blood component separator, pre-storage pooling and leukoreduction in whole blood derived platelets, and the use of platelet additive solution and pathogen inactivation technology [1] |
| Disadvantages | ∙Higher WBC counts in PCs & RBCs [12] | ∙Lower RBC recovery [5] ∙Lower 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) [5,6] ∙Reduction in Factor VIII activity [7] |
Abbreviations: WBC, white blood cell; PCs, platelet concentrates; RBCs, red blood cells.