To Wash or Not to Wash? Comparison of Patient Outcome after Infusion of Cryopreserved Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cells before and after the Replacement of Manual Washing by Bedside Thawing

Background: Prior to infusion, cryopreserved autologous peripheral blood stem cell (auto-PBSC) grafts can either be thawed at the bedside or thawed and washed at the laboratory. At our center, manual washing of grafts prior to infusion was discontinued in April 2012 and bedside thawing was implemented. Methods: This study compares the outcomes of two patient groups who received auto-PBSC either after post-thaw washing (n = 84) or bedside thawing (n = 83). Results: No life-threatening infusion-related side effects were reported in either group. There was no significant difference in the mean CD34+ cells/kg dose of infused auto-PBSC in the two groups (p = 0.41), nor in the number of days to neutrophils > 0.5 × 109/L (p = 0.14), days to platelets > 20 × 109/L (p = 0.64), or days to platelets > 50 × 109/L (p = 0.62) after transplant. There was also no difference in the number of days on total parenteral nutrition (p = 0.69), days on G-CSF therapy (p = 0.48), or days with fever (p = 0.73). Finally, there was no significant difference in the number of red cell units transfused (p = 0.32), or platelet units transfused (p = 0.94) after the transplant. One-hundred-day mortality was identical in the two groups (2.4%). Conclusion: Both thawing procedures are safe and result in acceptable engraftment and patient outcomes.