A granulocyte transfusion infuses granulocytes, a category of white blood cell that includes neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils, into a patient's blood, historically to prevent or treat infection in people with neutropenia, an abnormally low level of neutrophils. Use of the treatment declined in the 1980s but saw renewed interest in the 1990s, driven by improved methods for harvesting granulocytes through leukapheresis, a process that separates white blood cells from red blood cells and plasma, and by a growing population of severely neutropenic patients following chemotherapy; donors may be given corticosteroids or a growth factor beforehand to raise their granulocyte count. Because granulocytes have a short shelf life, they are recommended for transfusion within hours of collection, and the treatment's efficacy remains poorly understood and its use controversial, with recognized adverse effects including fever, chills and respiratory symptoms.
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Granulocyte transfusion is a transfusion medicine procedure within hematology.
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1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granulocyte_transfusion, lead sectionQuote, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granulocyte_transfusion, lead section
A granulocyte transfusion is a medical procedure in which granulocytes are infused into a person's blood.
2. Wikipedia: Granulocyte Transfusion
WikipediaHistory sectionQuote, History section
The first human granulocyte transfusions were carried out in the 1960s, using white blood cells harvested from people with chronic myeloid leukemia and concentrated using centrifugation.
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