[Effective erythrocyte exchange by means of a cell separator in sickle cell anemia].

Sickle-cell anemia is one of the most common hemoglobinopathies. The therapy consists of symptomatical measures like giving analgetics, decreasing blood viscosity, and red cell transfusions. We present a cascuistic of a 23-year-old Turkish female patient with a homozygous form of sickle-cell disease, who was treated with analgetics, multiple red blood cell transfusions and Desferal because of severe pain crises. From November 1992 until June 1993 we performed automated red cell exchange transfusions with six fresh, washed and leukocyte-depleted red blood cell units with a continuous flow cell separator (Cobe Spectra). We propose to prefer the exchange with the cell separator to the conventional transfusion therapy by manual exchange or a chronic transfusion program in severe sickle-cell crises.