Effects of rejuvenation and frozen storage on 42-day-old AS-3 RBCs.

Background: A storage period of 42 days has been approved by the FDA for RBCs stored in NUTRICEL (AS-3). This study was undertaken to provide data to the FDA about the feasibility of salvaging AS-3 RBCs at the end of their storage period by rejuvenation and freezing, and to evaluate the effect of rejuvenation on indicators of RBC function.

Study Design And Methods: Healthy adults (n = 22) donated 450 mL of whole blood, and RBC components were prepared at two study sites.