A Study of the Change in Sodium and Potassium Ion Concentrations in Stored Donor Blood and Their Effect on Electrolyte Balance of Recipients

BACKGROUND: Preserved blood cells undergo progressive structural and functional changes that may affect their function, integrity, and viability after transfusion. The impact of transfusion of stored blood on potassium, sodium, or acid-base balance in the recipient may be complex, but information on it is inconsistent. This study therefore sought to determine the changes in the potassium and sodium levels in whole blood stored at 4°C for 28 days and clinical outcomes when such blood are transfused. METHODS: Whole blood were taken into double CPDA-1 bags and 50 ml transferred into the satellite bags for the study. Electrolyte concentration determinations were made on each of the blood sample on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 using the Vitalab Selectra Junior chemistry analyser. The remaining blood in the main bags was transfused after the 28-day period, and biochemical analysis carried out on the patients before and after the transfusion. One-way ANOVA was used for the analysis of variance between the weekly ion concentrations and independent sample Mann–Whitney U test for the data obtained from the patients. RESULTS: The mean potassium level of all the samples started with a normal value of 3.45 mmol/L on the first day followed by a sharp rise to 9.40 mmol/L on day 7, 13.40 mmol/L on day 14, 14.60 mmol/L on day 21, and 15.40 mmol/L on day 28. Sodium on the other hand started with a high value of 148.4 mmol/L on day 0 and then reduced to 146.4 mmol/L on day 7, 140.8 mmol/L on day 14, 135.6 mmol/L on day 21, and a low value of 130.8 mmol/L on day 28. No adverse clinical outcomes were seen in patients after they were transfused with the blood. CONCLUSION: It can be deduced that potassium concentration in refrigerated blood increases, whilst sodium concentration reduces with time and when such blood is transfused, it may not result in any adverse clinical outcome.