Preparation of white cell‐depleted blood. Comparison of two bedside filter systems

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Abstract
Numerous techniques have been established for preparing white cell‐poor blood, such as centrifugation, sedimentation, freezing, and filtration. All of these methods have disadvantages that restrict their practical use: they are time‐consuming, they require the facilities of a blood bank, and the white cell‐poor units cannot be stored. Therefore tests have been performed on two filter systems that make possible the depletion of white cells directly at the bedside. Both filters have a high white cell‐removal rate. The number of residual white cells in 1 unit of packed red cells was calculated as 1.08 +/‐ 0.53 × 10(7) in one system and 1.54 +/‐ 0.71 × 10(7) in the other. The filters do not affect the filtered red cells. Pressure filtration is performed without significant loss of efficiency. One of the systems can filter 2 units via one filter; however, handling the filters is tedious, and both filters are characterized by a low red cell recovery. Despite these disadvantages, the tested filter systems provide an effective device for preparing white cell‐poor blood at the bedside. They are a suitable alternative to the conventional methods.