The quality of platelets transfused is vital to the effectiveness of the transfusion. Freshly prepared, discoid platelets are the most effective treatment for preventing spontaneous hemorrhage or for stopping an abnormal bleeding event. Current methodology for the routine testing of platelet quality involves random pH testing of platelet rich plasma and visual inspection of platelet rich plasma for a swirling pattern indicative of the discoid shape of the cells. The drawback to these methods is that they do not provide a quantitative and objective assay for platelet functionality that can be used on each platelet unit prior to transfusion. As part of a larger project aimed at characterizing whole blood and blood components with multiwavelength UV/vis spectroscopy, isolated platelets and platelet in platelet rich plasma have been investigated. Models based on Mie theory have been developed which allow for the extraction of quantitative information on platelet size, number and quality from multi-wavelength UV/vis spectra. These models have been used to quantify changes in platelet rich plasma during storage. The overall goal of this work is to develop a simple, rapid quantitative assay for platelet quality that can be used prior to platelet transfusion to ensure the effectiveness of the treatment. As a result of this work, the optical properties for isolated platelets, platelet rich plasma and leukodepleted platelet rich plasma have been determined.

Date Published: 16 April 1998
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 3250, Optical Biopsy II, (16 April 1998); doi: 10.1117/12.305370

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3250:
Optical Biopsy II
Robert R. Alfano, Editor(s)