Therapeutic plasma exchange using the Spectra Optia cell separator compared with the COBE Spectra

The Spectra Optia (SPO) is a novel continuous-flow centrifugal apheresis system based on the COBE Spectra (CSP) platform. There have been few attempts to validate the advantages of the SPO. We performed a retrospective study comparing the two cell separators for therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) procedures in kidney transplant (KT) patients and seeing efficacy and safety.

We analyzed 720 TPE procedures performed between August 2012 and July 2014. Procedures included desensitization TPE before KT and TPE for the management of acute and chronic antibody-mediated graft rejection. Demographic characteristics, operational TPE variables, and laboratory data were analyzed.

Demographic characteristics for the SPO (n=389) and CSP (n=331) groups did not differ significantly. The procedure time to exchange one plasma volume was 94.2±10.3 min in the SPO group and 100.4±11.2 min in the CSP group (P<0.001). The plasma removal efficiency (PRE) was 92.5±4.9% in the SPO group and 83.2±3.7% in the CSP group (P<0.001). There were no significant differences across the two apheresis systems for changes in hematologic parameters.

Compared with the CSP, the SPO was associated with an improved PRE and a shorter procedure time to exchange one plasma volume. Our results in KT patients show that the SPO is superior to the CSP in TPE procedures.