Editing Platelet (section)

====Collection====
[[File:Platelet blood bag.jpg|thumb|Platelet concentrate]]
Platelets are either isolated from collected units of whole blood and pooled to make a therapeutic dose, or collected by [[Plateletpheresis|platelet apheresis]]: blood is taken from the donor, passed through a device which removes the platelets, and the remainder is returned to the donor in a closed loop. The industry standard is for platelets to be tested for bacteria before transfusion to avoid septic reactions, which can be fatal. Recently the AABB Industry Standards for [[blood bank|Blood Banks]] and Transfusion Services (5.1.5.1) has allowed use of pathogen reduction technology as an alternative to bacterial screenings in platelets.<ref>{{cite book |author=American Association of Blood Banks |author-link=AABB |chapter=5.1.5.1 |title=Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services |publisher=AABB |location=Bethesda MD |date=2003 |edition=22nd |isbn=978-1-56395-173-2 |oclc=53010679 }}</ref>

Pooled whole-blood platelets, sometimes called "random" platelets, are separated by one of two methods.<ref name="pmid1731433">{{cite journal |vauthors=Högman CF |title=New trends in the preparation and storage of platelets |journal=Transfusion |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=3–6 |date=January 1992 |pmid=1731433 |doi=10.1046/j.1537-2995.1992.32192116428.x |doi-access=free}}</ref> In the US, a unit of whole blood is placed into a large [[centrifuge]] in what is referred to as a "soft spin". At these settings, the platelets remain suspended in the plasma. The [[platelet-rich plasma]] (PRP) is removed from the red cells, then centrifuged at a faster setting to harvest the platelets from the plasma. In other regions of the world, the unit of whole blood is centrifuged using settings that cause the platelets to become suspended in the "[[buffy coat]]" layer, which includes the platelets and the white blood cells. The "buffy coat" is isolated in a sterile bag, suspended in a small amount of red blood cells and plasma, then centrifuged again to separate the platelets and plasma from the red and white blood cells. Regardless of the initial method of preparation, multiple donations may be combined into one container using a sterile connection device to manufacture a single product with the desired therapeutic dose.

Apheresis platelets are collected using a mechanical device that draws blood from the donor and centrifuges the collected blood to separate out the platelets and other components to be collected. The remaining blood is returned to the donor. The advantage to this method is that a single donation provides at least one therapeutic dose, as opposed to the multiple donations for whole-blood platelets. This means that a recipient is exposed to fewer donors and has less risk of transfusion-transmitted disease and other complications. Sometimes a person such as a [[cancer]] patient who requires routine transfusions of platelets receives repeated donations from a specific donor to minimize risk. Pathogen reduction of platelets using for example, [[pathogen reduction using riboflavin and UV light|riboflavin and UV light treatments]] can reduce the infectious load of pathogens contained in donated blood products.<ref name="pmid15157255">{{cite journal |vauthors=Ruane PH, Edrich R, Gampp D, Keil SD, Leonard RL, Goodrich RP |title=Photochemical inactivation of selected viruses and bacteria in platelet concentrates using riboflavin and light |journal=Transfusion |volume=44 |issue=6 |pages=877–885 |date=June 2004 |pmid=15157255 |doi=10.1111/j.1537-2995.2004.03355.x |s2cid=24109912}}</ref><ref name="pmid15934989">{{cite journal |vauthors=Perez-Pujol S, Tonda R, Lozano M, Fuste B, Lopez-Vilchez I, Galan AM, Li J, Goodrich R, Escolar G |title=Effects of a new pathogen-reduction technology (Mirasol PRT) on functional aspects of platelet concentrates |journal=Transfusion |volume=45 |issue=6 |pages=911–9 |date=June 2005 |pmid=15934989 |doi=10.1111/j.1537-2995.2005.04350.x |s2cid=23169569}}</ref> Another photochemical treatment process utilizing amotosalen and UVA light has been developed for the inactivation of viruses, bacteria, parasites, and leukocytes.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Prowse CV |title=Component pathogen inactivation: a critical review |journal=Vox Sanguinis |volume=104 |issue=3 |pages=183–199 |date=April 2013 |pmid=23134556 |doi=10.1111/j.1423-0410.2012.01662.x |s2cid=38392712}}</ref> In addition, apheresis platelets tend to contain fewer contaminating red blood cells because the collection method is more efficient than "soft spin" centrifugation.