Plateletpheresis-induced increase in platelet reactivity using different cell separators

Since plateletpheresis is being used increasingly, it is important to regard quality control to check health risks for donors and to exclude these.

Controlled randomised prospective open comparative study.

Department of Transfusion Medicine of a University Clinic.

112 platelet donors were examined.

Prior to and after plateletpheresis platelet reactivity was determined. The platelet concentrates in the two groups of 56 donors each were produced using either the cell separator 'CS-3000' and the collecting chamber PLT 30TM with the Omnix system (group I) or the cell separator 'AS-104' (group II).

In group I five donors showed a pathologically increased platelet reactivity (p = 0.1297) after plateletpheresis. In group II there were 10 donors with a pathologically increased platelet reactivity (p = 0.0046) after plateletpheresis. The mean concentration of platelets was reduced by separation using the CS-3000 Omnix from 238 +/- 49 x 10(3)/microliters to 172 +/- 32 x 10(3)/microliters (68 +/- 27 x 10(3)/microliters) and from 243 +/- 53 x 10(3)/microliters to 180 +/- 31 x 10(3)/microliters (63 +/- 33 x 10(3)/microliters) using the AS-104. In the first case the platelet yield was 3.9 x 10(11) platelets/concentrate, in the latter case it was 2.9 x 10(11) platelets/concentrate. The 'CS-3000 Omnix' is significantly more effective in separating (58.4 +/- 15.5%) than the 'AS-104' with 44.2 +/- 7.2% (p < 0.0001).

Since both donor groups were comparable regarding all factors recorded--especially the cardiovascular risk factors--the separation process could be responsible for the different traumatisation of platelets.