Therapeutic plasma exchange using the spectra optia cell separator compared with the COBE spectra

Background: The Spectra Optia (SPO) is a novel continuous-flow centrifugal apheresis system based on the COBE Spectra (CSP) platform. There have been few attempts to validate the advantages of the SPO. We performed a retrospective study comparing the two cell separators for therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) procedures in kidney transplant (KT) patients and seeing efficacy and safety. Methods: We analyzed 720 TPE procedures performed between August 2012 and July 2014. Procedures included desensitization TPE before KT and TPE for the management of acute and chronic antibody-mediated graft rejection. Demographic characteristics, operational TPE variables, and laboratory data were analyzed. Results: Demographic characteristics for the SPO (n=389) and CSP (n=331) groups did not differ significantly. The procedure time to exchange one plasma volume was 94.2±10.3 min in the SPO group and 100.4±11.2 min in the CSP group (P<0.001). The plasma removal efficiency (PRE) was 92.5±4.9% in the SPO group and 83.2±3.7% in the CSP group (P<0.001). There were no significant differences across the two apheresis systems for changes in hematologic parameters. Conclusions: Compared with the CSP, the SPO was associated with an improved PRE and a shorter procedure time to exchange one plasma volume. Our results in KT patients show that the SPO is superior to the CSP in TPE procedures.