Low Leukocyte Contamination without Filtration by Preparation of Platelet Concentrates in Cylindrical Bags with the Buffy-Coat Method

Background and Objectives: The buffy‐coat (BC) method for platelet concentrate (PC) preparation was modified in order to obtain leukodepleted PCs from single BCs without filtration. Materials and Methods: BCs were centrifuged in cylindrical BC bags and the optimal centrifugation conditions and optimal hematocrit were determined. Results: With optimal conditions, a tenfold lower leukocyte contamination was obtained compared with the conventionally shaped, wide BC bag (0.3 ± 0.19 versus 3.0 ± 1.71 × 106 leukocytes per unit; 85‐ml BCs). The platelet yield obtained with the cylindrical bag did not differ significantly from the yield obtained with the conventional bag (56 ± 16.4 versus 61 ± 15 × 109 platelets per PC). Furthermore, when PCs were prepared from 100‐ml BCs in cylindrical bags, a leukocyte contamination of 0.2 ± 0.11 × 106 and a platelet content of 6 ± 13.5 × 109 per PC were obtained. Conclusion: The use of cylindrical BC bags reduced the leukocyte contamination in PCs to a level required for leuko‐depletion without affecting platelet recovery.