METHOD FOR FREEZING RED GLOBULES

摘要

A method of freezing a standard donor unit of red blood cells such that it can be stored for long periods and subsequently recovered in a form pure enough for transfusion purposes uses red blood cells separated from plasma and platelets, as obtainable by centrifuging whole blood. The red blood cells are treated so that they have a Packed Cell Volume of not less that 90% and are added to a freezing bag (13) containing HES solution such that the ratio of HES/red blood cells is no more that 7% (preferably 6%) w/v. The bag (13) is placed in a freezing frame (20, 21), which is adapted to maintain the thickness of the contents of the bag constant, and the frame is placed in liquid nitrogen.