Comparing peripheral blood stem cell collection using the COBE Spectra, Haemonetics MCS+, and Baxter Amicus.

Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) have become the most common source of hematopoietic cells for allogeneic or autologous blood and marrow transplantation (BMT). We performed an evaluation of PBSC collections using three different apheresis systems in two major transplantation centers in Singapore. Patients undergoing autologous BMT and donors collecting for allogeneic BMT were harvested using the COBE Spectra, Haemonetics MCS+, or Baxter Amicus. There were 99 Spectra collections (61 were autologous), 81 MCS+ collections (35 were autologous) and 38 Amicus collections (33 were autologous). Our data shows that the Amicus not only processed larger peripheral blood volumes but also yielded larger PBSC volume (P-value<0.05). In terms of PBSC products, the Spectra produced more WBC, WBC/liter blood processed, and WBC/kg (P-value<0.05). The Spectra and MCS+ produced comparable amount of CD34+ cells. Amicus collected 50% less platelets compared to Spectra and MCS+. The total CD34+ cells in the PBSC products was linearly correlated to the circulating CD34+ cells using Spectra, MCS+, and Amicus. Our results suggest that, compared to MCS+ and Amicus, collecting PBSC using the COBE Spectra can produce more WBC with a similar number of CD34+ cells. With a linear correlation of circulating CD34+ cells to the total CD34+ cells in the products, the availability of an automated procedure, no rotating seal, and a small extracorporeal volume, the Spectra appears to be the preferred machine for PBSC collection.