Clinical efficacy of five filters specific for leukocyte removal

The clinical efficacy of 5 filters specific for leukocyte depletion was evaluated retrospectively. The patient population was composed of 191 thalassemics who received about 15,000 units of filtered blood in 28 months. The frequencies of reactions to filtered blood varied significantly (p less than 0.0001) according to the type of filter and were as follows: Erypur, 0.7%; Imugard, 2.7%; Leucostop, 0.7%; Miropore, 2.1%; Sepacell, 0.6%. There was a notable concordance between the efficacy in the leukocyte removal and the clinical performance of the filters. The 2 polyester filters examined combined good clinical and laboratory results with superior flow properties.