Blood, 1961, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 303-309.
© 1961 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
Repeated Plasmapheresis of Blood Donors
As a Source of Platelets
ALLAN KLIMAN 1,
LAWRENCE A. GAYDOS 1,
LESLIE R. SCHROEDER 1, and
EMIL J. FREIREICH 1
1 Division of Biologics Standards and the National Cancer Institute, National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
Repeated plasmapheresis with simple plastic equipment was performed on
six normal donors for the purpose of obtaining platelet-rich-plasma. Plasmapheresis was performed at rates of up to 1000 ml. of plasma per week for
periods up to three months. The six donors produced a total of 26.5 liters of
platelet-rich-plasma, an amount which would have requried 106 separate
blood donations had conventional means been used.
No significant changes in hemoglobin, platelets or white cells were observed
in the donors and serum protein depletion was minimal. No reactions to intensive plasmapheresis were encountered even when the procedure was
abruptly terminated. Repeated donor plasmapheresis is a convenient method
for producing large amounts of platelet-rich-plasma and affords a practical
means of controlling donor factors in platelet transfusion studies.
Submitted on March 24, 1961
Accepted on May 13, 1961
