Comparison of two leukocyte reduction filters for whole blood derived platelets

Leukocyte reduction filters are widely used for platelet transfusion therapy, and effective leukocyte removal is mandatory for transfusion safety. We evaluated both the performance of leukocyte reduction filters for platelets and the effect of filtration on platelet function.

A total of 100 pooled products (eight platelet concentrates were randomly pooled for each product) were used in this study: 50 were filtered by BioP-plus (Fresenius Kabi AG, Homburg, Germany) and 50 by PXL-8 (Pall Corporation, East Hills, NY, USA). Leukocyte reduction, platelet recovery, and filtration time were evaluated in each leukocyte reduction filter. Platelet aggregation responses to thrombin receptor activation peptide stimulation were compared in pre- and post-filtration products using impedance aggregometry (Multiplate Analyzer, Dynabyte Medical, Munich, Germany).

Leukocyte counts were uniformly less than 8.3×10(5) in all the post-filtration products, except one filtered by the PXL-8. Leukocyte reduction was 99.1% for BioP-plus and 99.7% for PXL-8, and platelet recovery was 84.2% for the BioP-plus and 86.7% for PXL-8. Filtration time of the BioP-plus was significantly shorter than that of PXL-8. Post-filtration platelet aggregation tended to decrease in both filters, showing no difference between them.

Both BioP-plus and PXL-8 leukocyte reduction filters for platelets performed well with effective leukocyte reduction and satisfactory platelet recovery. Although platelet function was decreased after filtration procedures, its clinical relevance is uncertain.