Leukocyte depletion filters: a comparison of efficiency

Four commercially available leukocyte depletion filters were evaluated using a flow cytometric technique to determine the efficiency of each type of filter. The Sepacell R-500A and the PALL RC50 were the most efficient in leukocyte depletion having a mean depletion percentage of 99.3% and 99.5%, respectively. The PALL RC100 which is used for two units also had a 99.3% depletion with the first unit but with the second unit the depletion dropped to 94.2%. The imugard IG-500 had a 97.3% depletion. Red cell recovery ranged from 87.4% for the PALL RC50 to 92.2% for the Sepacell R-500A.