QUALITY EVALUATION OF PLATELETPHERESIS USING THE NEW AMICUS (BAXTER) CELL SEPARATOR - EVOLUTION OF CD-62 EXPRESSION

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the new AMICUS (Baxter-Fenwa l Division) cell separator in terms of donor safety, efficiency, and q uality of the product obtained. One hundred eighty-three single-donor plateletpheresis procedures were performed, using a collection of 4-4. 5 x 10(11) platelets as endpoint. During the first part of the study, the mean volume processed was 3,225 ml and the mean procedure duration 69.5 min. During the second part, after a software change, the mean v olume and mean procedure time were 3,071 mi and 68.3 min, respectively . According to local policy, every collection bag was separated into t wo therapeutic units each containing a mean of 1.87 (1.83) x 10(11) pl atelets. The white blood cell (WBC) contamination per therapeutic unit was less than 5 x 10(6) in 91% of phereses performed in part one of t he study and in 98% of phereses performed in part two. During the reco mmended 5 days storage, sequential in vitro analyses were performed in 27 units, showing limited platelet activation according to CD62 expre ssion and morphological changes on electron microscopy (EM). Furthermo re, there was a correlation between CD62 expression and the degree of WBC contamination (P = 0.03). In conclusion, platelet collection with the new Amicus allows for high platelet yields of adequate quality as judged by WBC content, CD62 expression, and electron microscopic morph ological changes. J. Clin. Apheresis 13:47-55, 1998. (C) 1998 Wiley-Li ss, Inc.