Summary

Objective: Comparison of two commercially available plasma collection systems that operate based on erythrocyte sedimentation. Both systems were tested for plasma quality and practicability referring to horses. Material and methods: Five warmblood horses were used as blood-donors to compare system 1 (S1, Baxter Fenwal®, Maurepas, France) with system 2 (S2, “Plasma Collection Kit”, Arnolds, Shropshire, UK). Blood was collected with both systems from every horse. Subsequently plasma was extracted. Evaluated parameters comprised collection-time, obtained plasma volume, erythrocyte concentration and se - condary bacteriological contamination. Additionally costs and usability were assessed. Results: Due to the different preconditions blood-sampling time was shorter for system 1 (S1: 411 ± 13 s; S2: 2065 ± 545 s), bringing about comparatively small volumes of plasma (S1: 310 ± 37 g; S2: 990 ± 256 g). The concentration of erythrocytes was 0.11 ± 0.02 T/l (S1) and 0.18 ± 0.04 T/l (S2), respectively. One of the plasma samples taken with system 1 was mildly contaminated with Pseudomonas sp. and Acinetobacter sp. Conclusion: Both plasma systems are suitable for collecting plasma from horses. Clinical relevance: Due to the relatively short sampling time system 1 is well accepted by the horses. However, compared to system 2, only a small amount of plasma can be obtained per sampling. Concerning the longer sampling time of system 2, it is advisable to use it only for calm donor horses