COMPARISON OF COBE WHITE CELL-REDUCTION AND STANDARD PLATELETPHERESISPROTOCOLS IN THE SAME DONORS

BACKGROUND: It is necessary to protect patients from white cell (WBC)- caused side effects of platelet transfusion by reducing the WBC contam ination in single-donor platelets. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A new COB E Spectra WBC (leuko)-reduction system (LRS) was compared to the COBE standard plateletpheresis (standard) procedure. Each of 62 donors unde rwent plateletpheresis under the two protocols (LRS and standard). The collection efficiency and WBC contamination in the components collect ed using the techniques were compared. Platelets were counted in a cel l counter and WBCs were counted using two full grids of a Nageotte cha mber. RESULTS: The preseparation and postseparation numbers for red ce lls, WBCs, and platelets as well as the number of collected platelets were not different in the two techniques. Collection efficiency in the LRS procedures was 96.2 +/- 13.0 percent of that in the standard proc edures. Median WBC contamination in the platelet components was 10,160 per LRS procedure and 56,500 per standard procedure. The purity of th e LRS components was significantly improved (p = 0.001), as seen in a comparison of the WBC numbers in components per procedure after log(10 ) transformation (LRS: 0.096 +/- 0.195 x 10(6); standard: 0.390 +/- 1. 075 x 10(6)). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the LRS procedure pr oduces platelet concentrates with a collection efficiency that is comp arable to that obtained with the standard technique and with a residua l WBC content that satisfies even the most stringent criteria for filt ered platelets. As this purity can be achieved without platelet loss o r alteration, conventional fiber filtration no longer seems necessary or useful in this type of single-donor platelet component.