Transfusion Safety: Cell Counters & Leukoreduction | Transfusion, Cell counters, Safety

NanoEntek
Jun 2, 2023
3 min read

What is a blood cell counter?

A blood cell counter is used during blood donation to measure the number and types of blood cells in a donor’s blood sample. This blood cell counting test helps confirm whether the donated blood is suitable for transfusion and determines which blood components can be used.

There are three main reasons why blood cell counters are used in blood transfusion procedures:

1. Ensuring blood transfusion safety

2. Identifying usable blood components

3. Monitoring blood donor health

Among these, ensuring the safety of blood transfusions is the most important. Blood cell counting can help identify abnormal blood cell counts or cell types that may indicate certain diseases or health conditions. This process also supports blood transfusion safety by helping reduce the risk of transmitting infectious diseases through donated blood.

Can donated blood be transfused immediately?

A safely check blood is being transfused to the patient — A safety check blood is being transfused to the patient

Even when donated blood comes from a healthy donor, it cannot always be transfused into a patient immediately. Before blood transfusion, donated blood must undergo safety checks and processing to ensure that it is suitable for the patient.

One important step is the removal of white blood cells from donated blood. This process is called leukoreduction.

What are white blood cells?

White blood cells, also known as leukocytes, are an essential part of the immune system. They perform several important functions, including:

Fighting harmful bacteria
Producing effective antibodies against bacteria and viruses
Protecting the body against malignant diseases

Although white blood cells are important for immune protection, donor white blood cells may cause adverse reactions in a patient receiving a blood transfusion. They can trigger an immune response and lead to symptoms such as fever, chills, or other transfusion-related reactions.

Leukoreduction helps reduce the number of white blood cells in donated blood, supporting safer blood transfusion while improving the quality of blood during storage.

How does leukoreduction improve blood transfusion safety?

White blood cell removal can be performed using different methods, including filtration and sedimentation.

Filtration

Filtration is the most commonly used leukoreduction method. During this process, donated blood passes through a filter that retains white blood cells while allowing other blood components to pass through.

White blood cells are approximately 7–20 micrometers in diameter. Leukoreduction filters are commonly made from materials such as nylon, polyester, or polyurethane.

Sedimentation

Sedimentation involves centrifugation to separate white blood cells from the other components of donated blood. However, this method is less commonly used for leukoreduction than filtration.

Can leukoreduced blood be transfused right away?

Safely leukoreduced blood is transfused to the patient

Even after leukoreduction has been completed successfully, the blood product must undergo a final quality control check before transfusion.

Leukoreduced blood can generally be stored for up to 35–42 days, although several factors may affect the quality and shelf life of the blood product.

After the leukoreduction process, it is essential to confirm that the white blood cell count has been sufficiently reduced to minimize the risk of adverse reactions in transfusion recipients. A blood cell counter enables accurate and precise measurement of residual white blood cells, providing essential information for blood quality control.

Without reliable blood cell counting, it would be difficult to verify the safety and effectiveness of blood products used in transfusion medicine.

In addition to the accuracy and precision of white blood cell counting, sample processing speed is also a critical factor in blood quality control. Due to the high volume of blood samples and the time-sensitive nature of transfusion medicine, healthcare professionals need efficient blood cell counters that can deliver rapid and reliable results.