Large-scale plasmapheresis in equines adapting an IBM continuous-flow cell separator

Abstract

The development of a successful process for continuous plasmapheresis in equines using an IBM blood cell separator has been accomplished by introducing various modifications to the usual process. These included the recycling of disposable sets and their safe, repeated use on over 8000 runs carried out over the past four years. The standardization of the operation of the blood cell separator proved to be a very safe application. It yielded a considerably increased amount of plasma while maintaining better antibody titers and health in the equine donors, compared with the traditional manual method of plasmapheresis.