The preparation of leukocyte‐poor red blood cells: a comparative study

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Thirteen methods of preparing leukocyte-poor [human] red blood cells were compared for their effectiveness in removing leukocytes. When the starting material was 6-10 days old, the residual leukocyte count was 3-4 times lower than when fresh material was used and no granulocytes could be found. The most effective manual procedure was a single upright sedimentation of 6- to 10-day old saline-diluted red cells. Inverted sedimentation was no more effective in leukocyte depletion than upright sedimentation. Automated cell processors were no more effective than several of the better manual methods. Freezing and deglycerolizing resulted in a 10-fold improvement in leukocyte removal with less red blood cell loss but at higher cost than the nonfreezing methods. Unless the minimal leukocyte count of frozen red blood cells is essential, a single upright sedimentation of saline-diluted, 6-10 day old red blood cells is currently the most effective procedure for preparing leukocyte-poor red blood cells.