What is granulocyte apheresis?
Apheresis granulocytes are a specialized blood product comprised largely of white blood cells. This product is used in patients with very low white cell counts that have life threatening infections that have not responded to antibiotic therapy. In some patients this is truly their last hope for survival.
Why would someone need a granulocyte donation?
Granulocytes from donors can be critical to control infections after chemotherapy, transplantation and other treatment. Clinical center physicians rely on donated granulocytes to treat patients with life-threatening infections or severely impaired immune systems.
How are granulocytes donated?
Granulocytes are donated using a blood separation process called apheresis, using a sterile kit and blood separator device. This device separates your blood cells, keeping the granulocytes and returning most of your blood to you.
Are granulocytes safe to donate?
Conclusions. Granulocyte mobilization with lenograstim with or without dexamethasone was a safe and effective regimen for granulocyte mobilization. Side effects were tolerable and milder than those seen in peripheral blood stem cell donors.
What are granulocytes used to treat?
With the advent of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to mobilize neutrophils in healthy donors, granulocyte transfusions have been broadly used to prevent and/or treat life-threatening infections in patients with severe febrile neutropenia and/or neutrophil dysfunction.
How do granulocytes work?
As part of the immune response, granulocytes migrate to the site of infection and release a number of different effector molecules, including histamine, cytokines, chemokines, enzymes and growth factors.
What happens when two blood types mix?
Blood Type Importance Now experts know that if you mix blood from two people with different blood types, the blood can clump, which may be fatal. That’s because the person receiving the transfusion has antibodies that will actually fight the cells of the donor blood, causing a toxic reaction.
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