The effect of a single or double dose of dexamethasone on granulocyte collection with the continuous flow centrifuge.

A total of 33 leukaphereses were performed with the IBM continuous flow centrifuge on 28 normal healthy donors for the purpose of obtaining increased yields of granulocytes for infusion into leukopenic recipients. The pretreatment of donors within a 10- to 12-hour period prior to pheresis with a double dose of dexamethasone and the addition of hydroxyethyl starch to the input line of the continuous flow centrifuge, significantly increased the total quantity and efficiency of granulocyte collected as compared to a donor group receiving a single dose of dexamethasone in addition to hydroxyethyl starch. A mean of 25.5 times 10-9 total granulocytes were collected in addition to an efficiency of 2.11 times 10-9 granulocytes harvested per liter of blood processed in the double-dose-treated donors, in contrast to 19.6 times 10-9 total granulocytes collected and an efficiency of 1.82 times 10-9 granulocytes harvested per liter of blood processed in the single dose donor group. The results of the present study demonstrate that elevated quantities of granulocytes can be collected from normal donors by scheduling a double dose of dexamethasone prior to the pheresis procedure.