In-line filtration of platelet concentrates obtained with the Omnix blood cell separator

The quality of platelet concentrates (PC) obtained with the blood cell separator Omnix was investigated before and after in-line filtration. PC were filtered 2h (protocol A) and 4 h (protocol B) after the termination of apheresis. Platelet (PLT) yield after filtration was similar in both protocols (median 3.7 vs. 3.4 x 10(11)). Median white blood cell (WBC) contamination after leucocyte depletion was 0.07 x 10(6) (range 0.02-3.27 x 10(6)) in protocol A and 0.06 x 10(6) (range 0.02-2.1 x 10(6)) in protocol B. Glucose, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase, morphology score and pH value were not statistically different before and after filtration in both protocols. We conclude that in-line filtration results in sufficient leucocyte depletion of the PC. The prefiltration storage time did not influence the studied parameters of product quality.