Successful granulocyte apheresis using medium molecular weight hydroxyethyl starch.

Granulocyte transfusion (GTX) is a therapeutic option for severe bacterial or fungal infection in patients with sustained neutropenia after chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation. However, high molecular weight hydroxyethyl starch (HES), which has been used for selective sedimentation of red blood cells during apheresis, is not easily available in many countries including Japan. In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of granulocyte collection using medium molecular weight HES (130 kDa) in combination with the Spectra Optia apheresis system.

Improved planning of leukapheresis endpoint with customized prediction algorithm: minimizing collection days, volume of blood processed, procedure time, and citrate toxicity.

Background: Increased emphasis on cost and productivity in apheresis centers calls for a proficient and predictable hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) collection. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the value of a customized predictive algorithm that estimates how many blood volumes are required to process for a targeted CD34 cell dose.

Study Design And Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on 107 HPC collections completed on the Spectra Optia MNC from January 2013 to June 2014 in 51 patients and 12 donors.