The two-step preservation of red blood cells. A contribution to improve their viability and therapeutic efficiency.

The maintenance of adenine nucleotides and guanine nucleotides in stored red blood cell can be achieved by adding adenine plus guanosine instead of adenine plus inosine. Inorganic phosphate improves this effect. The maintenance of glycerate 2,3-bisphosphate requires the addition of a redox equivalent together with a source for glycerate 1,3-bisphosphate like xylitol. Substrates added together with the resuspending solution maintain the viability of cells in the same but more economical way than by addition to the primary anticoagulant solution. Sucrose in a 20 mM final concentration reduces the hemolysis of resuspended red blood cell concentrates to less than 1% during 6 weeks of storage.