Transfusion of leukocyte-depleted red cell concentrates and whole blood with a new bedside filter system

In the past, several techniques have been established for preparing leukocytepoor blood. However, all these techniques are time consuming and require the facilities of a blood bank. We have tested a newly developed filter system (Sepacell R 500A) for direct bedside filtration that significantly reduces this expenditure. The filter retains leukocytes and platelets by about 99.3% and 94.2%, respectively. It has no effect on filtered red cells. Plasma sodium, calcium and potassium concentrations, and pH are not changed. Clinically, no side effects have been observed.