What is the purpose of a platelet agitator?

A platelet agitator is an essential piece of equipment in medical and healthcare facilities, including blood banks.

But what exactly are platelet agitators and why are they necessary?

What is a platelet agitator?

Blood taken at donations, referred to as whole blood, is made up of many component parts, including:

·         Red blood cells

·         White blood cells

·         Platelets

·         Plasma

All of which need to be handled and stored carefully once collected to ensure they can be used for patients in need of transfusion. If not, these blood products can spoil and will have to be disposed of at considerable cost.

As blood banks are always in need of more donations, allowing blood and blood products to spoil is deemed especially wasteful.

A platelet agitator is used to keep blood platelets at an ambient temperature of 22 °C for around 5-7 days and stops them from coagulating (clumping), ensuring they stay in the best possible condition for future use.

So named after the agitating side-to-side motion, each platelet agitator moves samples around 16mm in total to stop the platelets clotting together, even if the agitator is opened to remove samples.

Where are platelet agitators used?

Platelet agitators are most often found in blood banks, hospitals, urgent care or cancer treatment centres, and research laboratories.

This is because the transfusion of platelets is needed by patients:

·         With certain types of cancers

·         Who have had surgery

·         Bone marrow transplantation

·         In intensive care – including adults, children, and babies

·         Who have bleeding disorders, like  haemophilia or Von Willebrand disease

Such patients are most likely to go to these places for treatment.

Laboratories may have platelet agitators if they are testing products or medicines that can impact on clotting factors or the platelets themselves – so they can be aware of any contraindications or side effects.

How are platelet agitators used in healthcare and medicine?

As you would expect, platelet agitators are used in these locations to prepare and store platelet samples ahead of transfusion in the next 5-7 days.

It is possible to store samples for longer if the platelets are frozen, but they will need to be thawed and then stored safely in an agitator – adding further steps to the chain.

If removed from the agitator, as long as interruptions last for no longer than a total of 24 hours, with a single interruption lasting for no more than 8 hours, the NHS deems them safe to be used for transfusion, which means that more samples can be used without concerns.

Find platelet agitators with QED Scientific

With decades of experience supplying private and NHS services as a pre-qualified approved supplier, QED Scientific can help you with your equipment needs – no matter how precise they may be.

Our range includes everything from patient  warming and cooling to neonatal and maternity, with a vast array of blood bank, laboratory, and pharmacy goods from high-quality manufacturers.

To order or for technical information about a specific platelet agitator, cotact us today – you can call us on 01663 735 494 or email us at info@qedscientific.com and we’ll be in touch.