Does anybody know of a vendor who sells 0.9% NaCl in 500 mL bags with a length of tubing that can be used for sterile connection?

We currently have 1000 mL containers from Baxter, but they only have a port for spiking (no tubing), but we are investigating a process for which we would need to sterile connect.

Hi Heather.

What is the saline for? If it is for washing or serology, it should be buffered saline. I have seen irrigation saline that is in date have a pH of 5.4. Specs say it must be 6.8 to 7.2.

What's the process, just out of curiosity? Something that might be stored longer than 4 hours? If it's for pooling cryo or adjusting crits for intrauterine transfusions or something like that, try checking with your own nursing or hospital supply (assuming you're in a hospital). Back when I worked for a facility that pooled their own cryo, that's who supplied us. If they're too stingy to kick you down a bag of saline every now and then, they should be willing to tell you who they order it from and the name of their rep.

Sorry folks -- I am in a blood center. The project is to prepare washed platelets in a closed system for a research customer.

This could be a vildly spurious comment but it seems that often diluents used for tasks such as washing platelets are selected for convenience rather than being "fit for purpose". For this process the prime goal is to keep the product sterile BUT is the diluent used OK for your purpose? I find that so called "Irrigation Saline" or "Physiological Saline" is fine for it's intended purpose but may have problems when used for other purposes. As an example I would think that platelets would not like pH changes. The bags used for most items like bagged saline are gas permeable so solutions in storage will absord CO2 and carbonic acid formation will lower the pH over time. It may be worth checking when you are validating the dluent you use.

This may not be an issue in the U.S. but I run into it all the time in Asia where it can really affect serology.