Effects of leucocyte depletion on rheologic properties of human CPDA-1 blood

Background and Objectives: Leucocyte depletion imp roves the quality of stored blood units. We have studied its role on blood viscosity, Materials and Methods: Viscosity of CPDA-1 blood units was measured in a Couette viscometer at shear rates of 94.5 and 0.1 s-1 prior to and following filtration with the Leukotrap(R) A1 system on day 0 and after 21 days at +4 degreesC. Results: On day 0, high but not low shear viscosity was significantly decreased. The red blood cell morphology was unaffected. On day 21, blood viscosity was increased similarly for unfiltered and filtered samples at both shear rates, The echinocytosis observed after storage correlated with the increase in viscosity, Conclusion: Leucocyte depletion is associated with a decrease in high shear viscosity, This effect is, however, completely lost after 21 days, Copyright (C) 2000 S.Karger AG,Basel.