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White blood cells may be removed to protect them from damage before high-dose chemotherapy, then transfused back into the patient, in the treatment of advanced breast cancer. [1] Another novel use of cells obtained through leukapheresis is to stimulate a patient’s immune system to target prostate cancer cells. [2]
Leukoreduction or leukocyte reduction is the process of removing or reducing the number of white blood cells (or leukocytes) from the blood or blood components supplied for blood transfusion. After the removal of the leukocytes, the blood product is said to be leukoreduced.
The donor blood undergoes leukapheresis, a process by which white blood cells are separated from red blood cells and plasma. During the blood collection, the donor's blood is mixed with hydroxyethyl starch , which helps separate the granulocytes from other blood components during sample processing.
White blood cells are transfused only in very rare circumstances, since granulocyte transfusion has limited applications. Whole blood has come back into use in the trauma setting. [2] Red blood cells (RBC) contain hemoglobin and supply the cells of the body with oxygen. White blood cells are not commonly used during transfusions, but they are ...
If all of the incidentally collected white blood cells are transfused with the platelets, substantial rejection problems can occur. Therefore, it is standard practice to filter out white blood cells before transfusion by the process of leukoreduction. Early platelet transfusions used a filter to remove white blood cells at the time of transfusion.
Platelet components can have had the white blood cells partially removed (leucodepleted) which decreases the risk of having a transfusion reaction. [33] They can be treated with ultraviolet light which decreases the risk of transmission of certain infections. [34]
Plasma is then removed from the blood by a cell separator. Three procedures are commonly used to separate the plasma from the blood cells, with each method having its own advantages and disadvantages: [6] Discontinuous flow centrifugation: One venous catheter line is required. Typically, a 300 ml batch of blood is removed at a time and ...
Erythrocytapheresis – removal of erythrocytes (red blood cells) in people with iron overload as a result of Hereditary haemochromatosis. This process is also used for exchange transfusion in severe malaria, or in sickle cell patients with specific indications such as acute chest syndrome or stroke.