The 24-hour shelf-life of cytapheresis platelet concentrates stored in polyvinyl chloride containers should be extended only with caution.

A recent publication suggested that the 24-hour allowable shelf-life of apheresis platelet concentrates collected by open-system techniques be extended to 48 hours because platelets collected in this fashion usually remain sterile for that length of time. The current studies, however, show that the quality of platelet concentrates deteriorates rapidly after storage for more than 24 hours in the relatively small-volume, polyvinyl chloride containers of currently marketed, open-system software, as evidenced by the falling pH, the disintegration of platelets, and the inability of platelets to recover from hypotonic shock. Platelets were markedly defective within 48 hours. Thus, it seems unwise to extend the shelf-life of such platelet concentrates beyond 24 hours solely because they are likely to remain sterile. Collection techniques and software must also be modified to ensure satisfactory platelet quality before the period of storage should be extended.