Leukapheresis of patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL), using the Haemonetics blood processor.

By the use of citrated hydroxyethyl starch (HES) as anticoagulant, the Haemonetics blood processor can be used to obtain large numbers of granulocytes from patients with CGL. This report is of 67 leukaphereses on 11 different patients. A median of 1.14 x 10(11) granulocytes was obtained per 6-cycle pheresis (3.4 x 10(10) per liter of blood processed), or eight to ten times the number obtained from comparable leukaphereses of normal donors. High yields of platelets were also obtained, although not in proportion to granulocytes, since some of the patients used as donors have normal or even low platelet counts. The patients tolerated the procedure well, and no adverse reactions to HES were observed. The patients experienced a mean 35 per cent drop in the postleukapheresis WBC count, but in no case was this drop sustained for more than a few days, and no lasting effect on the disease process was observed.