[18 months experience with a new single needle cytapheresis system (Fresenius AS 104 SN)].
BACKGROUND
Since October 1991 the third-generation cell separator Fresenius AS 104 offers a single-needle (SN) option for thrombocytapheresis. Here we present our first 18-month experience with this new single-needle system.


METHODS
We performed 395 thrombocytaphereses in 225 donors. The influence of blood flow, cycle volume, and interface position on efficacy and leukocyte contamination was evaluated.


RESULTS
395 thrombocytaphereses were performed with an average thrombocyte yield of 3.00 +/- 0.69 x 10(11) platelets and a leukocyte contamination of 1.66 +/- 3.1 x 10(8) per concentrate. Blood flow rates of 50 ml/min (vs. 60 ml/min) and an interface position of 6:2 (vs. 7:1) resulted in a lower leukocyte contamination, but without statistical significance.


CONCLUSIONS
The SN program of the AS 104 provides high thrombocyte yields and less leukocyte contamination than other SN systems, but 77% of the concentrates still contain more than 0.5 x 10(8) leukocytes.
Zeiler
T
T
Blutbank, Universitätsklinikum Rudolf Virchow, Freie Universität Berlin, BRD.
Zingsem
J
J
Weisbach
V
V
Zimmermann
R
R
Wittmann
G
G
Eckstein
R
R
D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001810:Blood Volume / Q000502:physiology; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009339:Needles; D010976:Platelet Count; D010983:Plateletpheresis / Q000295:instrumentation*
18 Monate Erfahrung mit einem neuen Single-needle-Zytapheresesystem (Fresenius AS 104 SN).