Platelets are the most demanding blood component to store. Unlike red cells they are kept warm, not cold, and they must be kept moving. Get either wrong and the unit is lost. Here is what platelet storage actually requires.
Why platelets are different
Red cells are refrigerated at +4°C and plasma is frozen, but platelets are stored at room-temperature conditions of 20–24°C. At refrigerator temperatures platelets clump and lose function, so they must never go in a blood bank fridge. That warmer storage window is why platelets have a short shelf life and why the equipment is specialised.
The two requirements: temperature and agitation
Proper platelet storage combines two things:
- A platelet incubator that holds a stable 20–24°C, with alarms if the temperature drifts out of range.
- An agitator that keeps the platelet bags in gentle, continuous motion. Agitation maintains gas exchange through the bag and stops the platelets from settling and aggregating.
The two work together: the agitator sits inside (or alongside) the temperature-controlled incubator so the platelets are both warm and moving for their entire storage life.
Why continuous agitation matters
If agitation stops for an extended period, platelets begin to clump and their pH can fall, reducing viability. That's why agitators are designed for uninterrupted running and why a power-failure or agitation-stopped alarm is valuable — it tells staff to act before units are compromised.
Shelf life and capacity planning
Because platelets expire quickly, size your incubator and agitator to your real turnover, and build in a little headroom for donor drives. It's better to run a correctly loaded unit than to overfill one and block the gentle movement each bag needs.
Equipment options
Hi-Tech supplies both complete platelet storage systems (incubator plus agitator, including certified refurbished Helmer units) and individually manufactured platelet agitators, platelet incubators and rotators from our own production line — so you can either buy a matched system or add to the setup you already run.
The short checklist
- Stable 20–24°C storage — never refrigerate platelets
- Continuous, gentle agitation for the whole storage period
- Temperature and agitation-failure alarms
- Capacity matched to your turnover, not overfilled