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Objectives: Our objectives were to determine the separation characteristics and blood product quality of a gravity‐driven microfiltration blood separation system (HemoClear, The Netherlands). Background: A range of centrifugal blood separation devices, including intraoperative cell salvage devices (cell savers) and apheresis machines, are available to assist in preparing both allogenic and autologous blood products. These devices are expensive to operate and require extensive training. Methods and Materials: Nine whole blood units were collected under standard conditions and analysed for haematological parameters, thromboelastographic properties, platelet morphology and activation, and red blood cell (RBC) deformability and morphology. Three whole blood units were separated by means of the HemoClear device, into a liquid and cellular component. The cellular component was diluted with SAGM and cold stored for 14 days. To simulate cell salvage six whole blood units were diluted with isotonic saline, followed by multiple HemoClear separation rounds. Results: The recovery of both RBCs (100 ± 1.6%) and white blood cells (99 ± 4.5%) after undiluted filtration were very high, while platelet recovery was high (83 ± 3.0%). During the filtration, and cold storage after filtration storage both the non‐deformable RBC fraction and the RBC maximum elongation remained stable. Parameters of thromboelastography indicated that platelets remain functional after filtration and after 7 days of cold storage. In the cell salvage simulation the total protein load in the cellular fraction was reduced by 65 ± 4.1% after one washing round and 84 ± 1.9% after two consecutive washing rounds. Conclusion: The novel blood filter studied effectively separates whole blood into diluted plasma and platelet‐rich RBCs. Moreover, the device effectively washed diluted whole blood, driving over 80% of proteins to the liquid component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Background The ErySep system represents an alternative to centrifuge-based whole blood ( WB) separation, using gravity and filtration through hollow-fibres (0·2 µm pore size) to produce red blood cell ( RBC) and plasma components. The aim of this study was to characterise the quality of ErySep RBC and plasma units compared with standard products from WB held overnight. Methods/Materials Two ABO-compatible WB units ( n = 24) were pooled and split to produce matched products. One of the WB units was separated into components using the ErySep system ( ErySep; n = 12), whereas the other units were separated by centrifugation (control; n = 12). RBC units were stored at 2-6 °C and assessed for in vitro quality over 42 days of storage. Plasma was frozen at −30 °C and tested upon thawing. Results Processing WB with the ErySep system took longer than controls. The ErySep RBC units were of an appropriate volume (307 ± 17 mL) and contained sufficient Hb (50 ± 2 g unit−1). ErySep RBC components contained more microparticles relative to controls at expiry. The plasma volume, total protein, coagulation factor activity (fibrinogen, FV, FVIII) and number of microparticles was lower in the ErySep units compared with controls. Conclusion Following overnight hold of WB, the ErySep system was capable of producing RBC components that met specifications. However, the ErySep plasma components did not meet quality specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]