A granulocyte transfusion is a medical procedure in which granulocytes are infused into a person's blood. Granulocytes are a category of white blood cell that includes neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils. Granulocyte transfusions were historically used to prevent and treat infections in people with neutropenia (an abnormally low level of neutrophils), but the practice declined in popularity in the 1980s. Interest in the procedure increased in the 1990s due to the development of more effective methods for harvesting granulocytes and a growing population of people with severe neutropenia from chemotherapy. However, the treatment's efficacy remains poorly understood and its use is controversial.
Granulocytes are most often collected through leukapheresis, a process that separates the donor's white blood cells from their red blood cells and plasma. Donors may be given corticosteroids or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor to increase their granulocyte count prior to the blood collection. Granulocytes have a short shelf life and it is recommended that they are transfused within hours of collection. Adverse effects from granulocyte transfusions include fever, chills, respiratory symptoms, transfusion-transmitted infections, and the development of antibodies against human leukocyte antigens, which can interfere with subsequent transfusions.
