US Panel Advises Filtering of Donated Blood

An advisory committee of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recommended that the government require leukoreduction of all donated blood. Some of the blood supply is already subjected to leukocyte reduction, perhaps 20-40%, but now the committee has called for leukocyte reduction of all donated blood.

The procedure has stirred a certain amount of controversy. Proponents of leukocyte reduction cite the fact that leukocytes can harbor viruses that could threaten high-risk patients. Leukocytes can also cause other problems with patients who need frequent transfusions. Therefore, leukocyte reduction might benefit everyone. Some even insist that leukoreduced blood is purer and better than unprocessed blood. On the other hand, critics point out that most high-risk patients are already given leukoreduced blood, and that nobody has been able to produce evidence of any benefit to healthy individuals.

The final decision on leukoreduction will be made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is said to be supporting the recommendation. In recent years, many countries in Europe have adopted leukoreduction.



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