The use of microaggregate filtration in the prevention of febrile transfusion reactions.

A simplified preparation of leukocyte-poor blood (LPB), employing microaggregate filtration following centrifugation, was compared with three other commonly used and accepted methods. The study group was comprised of 1,283 patients who received a total of 14,561 units of LPB. Of those, 361 patients received 2,235 units of LPB following a primary febrile reaction, and 922 patients received 12,326 units of LPB prophylactically. In both patient populations the microaggregate filtration method proved at least as effective as the inverted spin method and was clearly superior to the buffy coat-poor method in preventing febrile transfusion reactions.