Assessment and Comparison of the Manual Steps Required to Perform Whole Blood Processing Using a Semi-Automated Method Versus a Fully Automated Method

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to assess the manual steps required for an operator to use the semi-automated or fully automated method to process whole blood units.

METHODS: In 2022, in 3 top Colombian Blood Banks (Clínica Colsanitas, LaCardio, Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe - HPTU), an assessment on the manual steps required to do whole blood processing was performed. The study only included the processing methods when they were programed to obtain 3 final units: Red Cell Concentrates (RCC), Plasma Unit, Platelet Concentrates. There was an operator for each assessment who performed the processing and an external viewer that checked and wrote down all the steps. The fully automated method was performed only in HPTU with a leukoreduced processing set. The semi-automated method was performed in Clínica Colsanitas without leukoreduction and in LaCardio with leukoreduction using a filter for the RCC.

RESULTS: Clínica Colsanitas and LaCardio, the centers that used semi-automation, had 58 and 60 total manual steps, respectively. In LaCardio, due to the leukoreduction process for the RCC, 3 additional steps had to be performed: hanging the RCC; placing the RCC at the table; sealing the RCC to detach it from the filter. HPTU, the center that used full automation with a leukoreduced set for RCC, had 32 total manual steps. Furthermore, most steps related to the interaction with the processing device were portrayed in its LCD display. If a step was not performed or done incorrectly, the device didn’t allow the operator to continue with the process.

CONCLUSIONS: The fully automated system should be the preferred option as it decreases by almost half the quantity of manual steps that the operator must perform, optimizing standardization and decreasing the chances for human error and unit waste. In addition, the fully automated system ensures that the RCC filtration is pre-storage.