Creating 2 Unique Platelet-rich Plasma Products From a Single Batch of Whole Blood With a Single Processing Kit

Abstract

Introduction: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is effective for knee osteoarthritis (OA) and certain tendinopathies. Current recommendations support the use of leukocyte-poor PRP for OA and leukocyte-rich PRP for tendinopathy. If a patient presents with both OA and tendinopathy, very few systems can create multiple PRP products in the same treatment session. The Angel device processes multiple cycles to produce different PRP products. Methods: Ten healthy volunteers donated 156 mL whole blood (WB) that was mixed with 24 mL of anticoagulant citrate dextrose solution, solution A. The first PRP was produced by processing 120 mL at the 0% hematocrit setting and the second PRP was created by processing the remaining 60 mL at the 15% hematocrit setting. WB and PRP underwent complete blood counts and growth-factor analysis. Results: Ten patients donated WB for processing. The 0% setting yielded 3.7 ± 0.15 mL PRP, whereas the 15% setting produced 4.7 ± 0.33 mL. The 0% and 15% settings both concentrated platelets significantly more than WB (1101.5 ± 281.7 K/uL and 1357.8 ± 363.7 vs 184.3 ± 39.1 K/uL, P = 0.000). The 0% setting reduced total leukocytes, but this was not statistically significant. The 15% setting concentrated total leukocytes to 24 ± 8.72 K/uL, which was significantly higher than WB (P = 0.000). Neutrophil concentration was significantly reduced in the 0% PRP compared with 15% (0.032 ± .02 vs 6.75 ± 5.76 K/uL, P = 0.000). Discussion: Two unique PRP products were created from the same batch of WB using a single commercial kit by processing aliquots at different settings.