Red blood cell microaggregates form in blood products during storage. Their significance is a subject of controversy.
The number of microparticles and their size can be documented using flow cytometry.
Possible significance:
(1) pulmonary dysfunction in massive blood transfusion secondary to microemboli
(2) hypercoagulability
Mollison et al indicates that there is evidence that the clinical significance of microparticles is minor. In addition, using of microaggregate filters (much finer than standard filters) to remove the microparticles may increase the number of microparticles (Eisert and Eckert).
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