Microporous Membrane Filtration for Continuous-Flow Plasmapheresis

Abstract

The increased use of specific plasma components for therapeutic purposes as compared to whole blood transfusions, the greater frequency with which plasma can be donated compared to whole blood, and the growing use of therapeutic plasmapheresis has created a need for an improved plasma collection technique. Whereas whole blood donations require about 30 min, the 1 1/2 to 2 hr typically required with current centrifugal procedures has restricted plasma collection from volunteer donors. We have developed and clinically evaluated a new microporous membrane filtration technique for use in continuous-flow donor plasmapheresis. The procedure allows for the efficient, safe, and relatively simple acquisition of source plasma without requiring the more cumbersome and often time-consuming currently-available centrifugal methods. The results from our in vitro experiments suggested that this approach would be practicable for human donor plasmapheresis (1,2). In this paper we describe the initial clinical trials of continuous donor membrane plasmapheresis using a device with a 400 cm² membrane surface area. Our goal was to provide a procedure which would be attractive not only to the plasma collection industry but to the donors themselves in terms of time, safety, and ease of donation.