DIMENSIONAL, OSMOTIC, AND CHEMICAL CHANGES OF ERYTHROCYTES IN STORED BLOOD. IV. CELLS SEPARATED FROM PLASMA 1

Abstract

The possibility of utilizing erythrocytes remain- ing after the removal of plasma has been of in- creasing interest in the last years with the expand- ing use of plasma and its derivatives and with better understanding of the clinical use of red cells. Although several reports of the large-scale use of resuspended cells are available* (1 to 9), only scant information exists on in vitro changes tak- ing place in separated red cells during storage in the packed state or in resuspension. The present study, part of an investigation dealing with in vitro changes of stored blood, is concerned with dimensional, osmotic, and chemical changes of separated cells . In view of the fact that the American Red Cross during the war collected blood in simple citrate solution as well as in ACD solution, depending on whether the blood was to be used as such or for the preparation of plasma, both types of cells, those derived from bloods collected in simple citrate solution and.those from bloods collected in ACD solution, were studied. The purposes of the study may be defined as follows: (1) to establish the validity of in vitro testing of separated red cells and (2) to delimit, if possible, the optimum con- ditions of storage and the best type of resuspension fluid for separated cells. In most instances the' report will be limited to a presentation of changes of 4 indices of blood preservation: (1) hemolysis in 0.6 per cent NaCl solution, (2) changes in cellu- lar thickness, (3) adenosine triphosphate content, and (4) glycolyzing power of erythrocytes. Com- plete measurements of dimensional changes, including diameter, surface and volume; of the os- motic behavior; and of the phosphorus and cation distributions were performed as described in the first paper of this series (10), but are omitted here