Background and objectives: The buffy-coat (BC) method for platelet concentrate (PC) preparation was modified in order to obtain leukodepleted PCs from single BCs without filtration.
Materials and methods: BCs were centrifuged in cylindrical BC bags and the optimal centrifugation conditions and optimal hematocrit were determined.
Results: With optimal conditions, a tenfold lower leukocyte contamination was obtained compared with the conventionally shaped, wide BC bag (0.3 +/- 0.19 versus 3.0 +/- 1.71 x 10(6) leukocytes per unit; 85-ml BCs). The platelet yield obtained with the cylindrical bag did not differ significantly from the yield obtained with the conventional bag (56 +/- 16.4 versus 61 +/- 15 x 10(9) platelets per PC). Furthermore, when PCs were prepared from 100-ml BCs in cylindrical bags, a leukocyte contamination of 0.2 +/- 0.11 x 10(6) and a platelet content of 61 +/- 13.5 x 10(9) per PC were obtained.
Conclusion: The use of cylindrical BC bags reduced the leukocyte contamination in PCs to a level required for leuko-depletion without affecting platelet recovery.
Copyright 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel