ABSTRACT
Anticoagulant-Preservatives 3 Obviously, an anticoagulant should prevent coagulation of the unit of blood, thereby maintaining the unit in a liquid, transfusible state. However, the anticoagulant should also ensure that the blood product maintains its integrity so that the product will provide optimal benefit to the patient. Modern blood collection devices utilize a liquid solution that contains both anticoagulant and preservatives. The anticoagulant is citrate; the preservatives are phosphate-dextrose solutions. These solutions enhance preservation of the red cells and prevent detrimental changes to the product by maintaining pH and promoting adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production in order to maintain red cell viability. Citrate-phosphate-dextrose (CPD) and citrate-phosphate-double-dextrose (CP2D) contain phosphate and dextrose. Citrate-phosphate-dextrose-adenine (CPDA1) has the addition of adenine to support red cell survival (Table 2-1).
