Leukapheresis of Patients with Chronic Granulocytic Leukemia (CGL), Using the Haemonetics Blood Processor

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Abstract
By use of citrated hydroxyethyl starch (HES) as anticoagulant, the Haemonetics blood processor can be used to obtain large numbers of granulocytes from patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia. This report is of 67 leukaphereses on 11 different patients. A median of 1.14 .times. 1011 granulocytes was obtained per 6-cycle pheresis (3.4 .times. 1010/l of blood processed), or 8-10 times the number obtained from comparable leukaphereses of normal donors. High yields of platelets were also obtained, although not in proportion to granulocytes, since some of the patients used as donors had normal or even low platelet counts. The patients tolerated the procedure well, and no adverse reactions to HES were observed. The patients experienced a mean 35% drop in the postleukapheresis white blood cell count but in no case was this drop sustained for more than a few days, and no lasting effect on the disease process was observed.