Multicenter evaluation of a whole-blood filter that saves platelets.
BACKGROUND
Whole-blood (WB) leukoreduction filters in current use retain the majority of PLTs. A new whole-blood filter, which retains significantly fewer of the PLTs (or saves PLTs [WB-SP]), has been developed. The performance characteristics of the WB-SP filter have been evaluated in a multicenter study.


METHODS
A total of 617 units of WB was collected into quadruple bag sets with an integrated WB-SP filter, leukoreduced, and processed into leukoreduced RBCs (LR-RBC), plasma (LR-PL), and buffy coats (LR-BC) from which, pooled, leukoreduced, PLT concentrates (LR-PCs) were produced. Recovery, yield, and residual WBCs were assessed in prepared blood components.


RESULTS
The median residual WBC number in the LR-RBCs was 0.05 x 10(6) (range, <0.05-3.8), exceeding 1 x 10(6) in 0.6 percent of the units. Median Hb content in LR-RBC was 50 g (range, 34-72), reflecting a final RBC recovery of 81 +/- 6 percent. The median WBC content of the LR-PC was 0.05 x 10(6) (range, <0.05-0.28), with none exceeding 1 x 10(6). The median PLT content of the LR-PC, per individual donation, was 6.4 x 10(10) (range, 4.1-10.7), representing a final recovery of 62 +/- 10 percent. The mean FVIII activity was 104 +/- 25 percent and 83 +/- 11 percent in plasma separated from fresh or overnight stored WB, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Use of the WB-SP filter makes it possible to obtain three leukoreduced blood components with only one filtration step. The WB-SP filter showed good leukoreduction performance and recovery of all blood components including PLTs.
Paunovic
Dragica
D
Terumo Europe N.V. Leuven, Belgium. dragica.paunovic@terumo-europe.com
van der Meer
Pieter
P
Kjeldsen-Kragh
Jens
J
Kekomaki
Riitta
R
Larsson
Stella
S
Greppi
Noemi
N
Porretti
Laura
L
Balint
Bela
B
Trkuljic
Miroljub
M
Nedeljkovic
Ninoslav
N
Simonovic
Ruzica
R
Massaro
Anna
A
Labanca
Luciana
L
Kora
Shinichi
S
Riggert
Joachim
J
D001781:Blood Component Removal / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001792:Blood Platelets; D005374:Filtration / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes