Processing bone marrow with a semiautomated cell processor for pediatric transplants: a comparison of two buffy coat...

Thirty-one marrows were harvested from 29 patients and donors in the first year after startup of a six-bed pediatric bone marrow transplant unit at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Twenty-seven patients were infused, 13 with allogeneic marrow. Eight of the 14 autologous marrows were purged with 4HC. This paper presents cell processing results from the first year of operation, describes a yield-enhancing change made to the buffy coat procedure, and shows which of various parameters significantly influenced final cell recoveries.