Apheresis experience with a continuous flow cell separator.

The Dideco Vivacell separator is a continuous-flow centrifugation system that has only recently been used for cytapheresis. The authors' experience with this separator in 451 plateletpheresis and 164 leukapheresis procedures is presented. Platelet collection provided high platelet yields (9.53 +/- 2.85 X 10(11) with a collection efficiency of 74 +/- 14 percent for about 6 liters of total blood processed. Functional integrity was confirmed by normal in vitro tests (aggregation and response to hypotonic stress) and good in vivo recovery (55%). In leukapheresis, white cell yields were high (3.42 +/- 1.2 X 10(10) with 85 percent polymorphonuclear neutrophil cells. Their oxidative metabolism functions (generation of free oxygen radicals), investigated by chemiluminescence, were increased over donor values. Donor reactions, all of the mild citrate type, were rare.