Patient Research

Patients and healthy, recruited study volunteers may be scheduled for a variety of procedures in Dowling Clinic. All must be done under valid, active NIH protocols specifying apheresis collection within the protocol consent.

Depending on cellular counts needed, the clinic nursing staff will determine the type of collection to provide.

Typical requests involve the need for 1x10 lymphocytes. This may be accomplished using the Haemonetics MCS cell processor, a discontinuous flow apparatus requiring insertion of a needle in one arm only and processing the equivalent of one liter of blood in two "passes" on the machine. It may be necessary due to patient size and hematocrit to perform a manual collection, which is time consuming and less efficient than machine apheresis. Collections of greater than 2 x 10 total cells are best performed on the Cobe Spectra or Baxter CS3000 instruments, both of which are continuous flow machines and require good venous access in two sites. Typically 25 liters of blood are processed in about six hours for an average yield of 4 - 8 x 10 cells. Yields are directly related to patient pre-apheresis white blood cell counts.

In addition to the cellular components such as lymphocytes, monocytes, granulocytes and platelets, 200 - 500 ml of plasma may also be provided from a single apheresis procedure.

To schedule, please call (301) 496-1430 and have the following information available:

• Patient name
• Patient NIH ID #
• NIH Protocol #
• Age, sex, diagnosis, hematocrit and weight of patient
• Product desired and in what amounts
• Primary investigator name and a contact's (fellow, protocol nurse) phone number
• Has the patient had a previous apheresis procedure in Dowling Clinic?

IMPORTANT: If your patient needs blood samples drawn on the morning of apheresis , please send labeled tubes and transmittal sheets to the clinic with the patient. This will save the patient a venipuncture and will preserve a good vein for use during apheresis.