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Purpose: A new software release of the Fenwal Amicus device is now available for red blood cell (RBC) apheresis, offering RBC exchange, RBC depletion (RBCd)/RCB exchange, and RBCd procedures. The main goal of this study was to validate the new RBCd program through the accuracy of the patient's postprocedure hematocrit (HCT) (actual end HCT) to the HCT reported by the device at the end of the procedure (target end HCT). Secondary objectives were to assess the device-related significant adverse events, the patient's cellular losses, and the degree of device induced hemolysis., Methods: The study was an open-label, single-center, prospective trial in adult patients eligible for RBCd. Patients were enrolled between October 2015 and June 2016. In all procedures, saline was used as replacement fluid. Blood samples were collected from the patient before and after the procedure. Device settings, adverse events, and procedure results were recorded., Results: Thirty-nine patients were enrolled (34 treated for iron storage disease and 5 for polycythemia vera); only 36 were evaluable for the primary objective. The mean actual end HCT was 34.6 ± 2.79% and the mean target end HCT was 35.8 ± 2.25%. The ratio (actual end to target end HCT) was 0.97 ± 0.05 with a 95% CI demonstrating the accuracy of the target HCT. One patient experienced a vasovagal event not related to the device. Cellular losses were not clinically relevant., Conclusion: The RBCd Amicus program met all RBCd efficiency and safety requirements with high accuracy of the target HCT., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

No conference of consensus was previously held in France, in the field of hematology. We decided to study the polycythemias, since it is a disease of relatively large frequency (about 1-2/100,000/year) relatively well defined, but in which initial evaluation, choice of treatment, quality or survey need really a consensus. Since the definition given in 1975 by the Polycythemia Vera Study Group (PVSG), some examinations became obsolete, and new ones (erythropoietin, stem cell culture) did appear, so that it seems useful to re-define the criteria of the disease. On another hand, the financial problems of our health systems make necessary do define what biological tests are really useful. As the vascular complications are the main risk of these patients, it would be useful to define what type of study is necessary for predicting the risk and also what preventive treatment could be advised. Such a study has presently never been done. Many questions still remain un-solved concerning the treatment. Beyond which age are the advantages of 32 P higher than the risk of leukemia? Is the chemotherapy by hydroxyurea or vercyte as easy to use than it is perhaps too often said? What is the best treatment, able to delay the development of myelofibrosis? The problem of survey is also, often, badly solved. What is the part of the specialist and that of the private physician?

The respective roles of general practitioners and of consultants, for the care of patients treated for polycythemia vera, deserve to be defined in order to improve the detection of late therapeutic complications. The involvement of the general practitioner in the care of patients can only reinforce his knowledge of a rare disease and his interest in its detection. Three factors can influence the methods of supervision and the respective roles of specialists and general practitioners: the easy access to the reference centre, the evolution of policy of medical Insurance Authorities refunding travelling expenses, the quality of contacts between the specialist and the practitioner in charge.