LEUKOCYTE REDUCTION FILTRATION - TECHNOLOGIES, BENEFITS, APPLICATIONS, AND LIMITATIONS

Recent developments leukocyte reduction (LR) filtration technology are reviewed. Maturing over the past decade, these filter devices are ver y effective, easy, and safe to use. Their market availability has gene rated new questions, such issues appropriate quality con trol techniqu es, optimal timing, and location of filtration. Although guidelines fo r use or recommendations for specific clinical indications remain inco mpletely resolved, some promising applications [eg, delay/prevention o f white blood cell (WBC) alloimmunization and platelet refractoriness or cytomegalovirus ''safe'' components] are being investigated by mult icenter trials. LR filtration would logically benefit patients who req uire prolonged or chronic transfusion support and those with recurrent febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reactions associated with WBC alloim munization. At this time, LR filtration is recommended neither for all blood recipients nor to Prevent transfusion-associated (TA) graft-ver sus-host disease or TA immunomodulation.