Prestorage leukocyte reduction with in-line filtration of whole blood: Evaluation of red cells and plasma storage

Objectives: Prestorage filtration of blood components appears to be an effective method to reduce leukocyte-induced adverse reactions and other complications. To determine whether it is better to filter whole blood before component separation. we compared the efficiency of in-line filtration of whale blood with that of postseparation filtration, Methods: Blood was collected from normal, healthy donors into either regular triple-bag containers or into whole-blood integral-filter container systems. We then compared the in vitro storage values of leukocyte-depleted red blood cell concentrates (RBCC) kept at 4 degrees C, and plasma frozen for 1 year with nonfiltered blood components as control, Results: All counts of white blood cells after filtration were < 1 x 10(6) per unit. For almost all storage parameters no significant differences were found between leukocyte-reduced RBCC and control units. The plasma fibrinopeptide A values below 30 ng/ml prior to freezing indicate that filtration does not activate the coagulation factors. Furthermore, the filtration did not influence either the biological values or the coagulation factors of plasma units. Conclusions: Whole blood filtration prior to component preparation seems to offer a useful alternative technique for obtaining leukocyte-reduced RBCC and plasma.