Granulocyte concentrates from a single high-yield apheresis can be split to support multiple patients

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Transfusion Medicine
• Oncology

Background:

• Allogeneic granulocyte transfusion is a critical therapy for immunocompromised patients with severe neutropenia and life-threatening infections.
• Stimulation of donors with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and dexamethasone enhances granulocyte concentrate (GC) collection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the rationale and methodology for splitting high-yield GC products.
• To demonstrate the feasibility and benefit of transfusing split GC units to multiple patients.

Main Methods:

• Donors were stimulated with G-CSF and dexamethasone to collect high-yield GCs.
• High-yield GC products were split into smaller units for transfusion to multiple recipients.
• The transfusion process for split GC units was detailed.

Main Results:

• The synergistic effect of G-CSF and dexamethasone enables collection of larger GC doses.
• Splitting GCs facilitates distribution to additional patients lacking donors.
• The study supports the effectiveness of split GCs.

Conclusions:

• Splitting granulocyte concentrates is a viable strategy to extend therapeutic reach.
• This approach maximizes the utilization of donor GCs, benefiting multiple patients.
• Split GCs are considered as effective as unsplit GCs in clinical practice.