Important Information Concerning Therapeutic Plasma Exchange

By Ann Scott


Plasma is a colorless liquid that is the main component of the blood. It has many functions in the body including transporting of substances as well as aiding in blood clotting in case of injuries. It is also prone to the infection by harmful organisms and antigens that may result in decreased effectiveness of the functioning of disease-fighting antibodies. This approach aims at elimination the unhealthy substances through the removal of the fluid itself. The other components of the blood namely the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets remain unaltered. Should such a life-threatening condition occur, Therapeutic Plasma Exchange should be carried out.

It is mostly done as a remedy to treat certain neurological illnesses that cause the creation of antibodies which are harmful to the body. These antibodies are usually contained in the colorless fluid. Diseases that can be rectified by such a procedure include acute pancreatitis, Lambert-Eaton, Myasthenia gravis among other autoimmune diseases. Although it is an effective method it does not fully cure the condition but slows down its progress and increases the chance of resisting the disease.

The main procedure is done within a unique machine designed for this particular purpose. It works on the principle of separating the various blood components so as to effectively drain out the colorless fluid while causing no interference to the other parts. These procedures usually take a maximum of four hours to complete and should be done several times in order to ensure the complete removal of the fluid.

Blood is drawn from the veins of a patient through the insertion of an IV needle on both arms. The connection between the machine and the patient is the tubing. It is important that blood clots are prevented and therefore the medicinal substances commonly referred to as anticoagulants are added to the drawn blood to prevent it from forming clots.

When the blood comes into contact with the machine, there are components that are responsible for detaching components into different separations. When this is done, it has a mechanism that drains the colorless liquid and adds another supplement to the other components and directs the composition back to the patient. When this procedure becomes complicated, albumin and saline may be used as complements.

Every medical procedure usually has some side effects. The patient may suffer from low blood pressure, severe headaches, and seizures. If the colorless fluid used is from a donor, then severe reactions may occur if the body rejects it and may result in anaphylactic shocks. Since albumin and saline contain little calcium and potassium they may create a related deficiency in your blood and increase the chance of the blood being infected.

This procedure should only be carried out if the condition can be effectively treated by it. There are evidence-based guidelines provided by the American Society for Apheresis which are regularly updated and should be followed before the operation is done.

With all the risks involved, it is considered to be a comparatively safe procedure. Studies have shown that these exchanges are well tolerated by the body. In the case of adverse side effects, supplementary medications can be administered to lower the symptoms and risks of other infections.




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