Apheresis – A general term for "taking away" a targeted cell type or substance from blood. Apheresis includes plasmapheresis (plasma) and cytapheresis (blood cells). The term "pheresis," which is a shortened pronunciation (slang) for apheresis, is not used.

Is there a difference between plasmapheresis and plasma exchange?

Plasmapheresis refers to a procedure in which the plasma is separated from the blood either by centrifugation or membrane filtration. Once separated the plasma can be manipulated in a variety of ways. Plasma exchange refers to discarding the plasma totally and substituting a replacement fluid.

What is the difference between pheresis and apheresis?

Pheresis is from the Greek and means “to take away” while apheresis means “to separate blood.” The terms often are used interchangeably. Pheresis is any procedure in which blood is withdrawn from a donor and a fluid or solid portion (eg, plasma, leukocytes, platelets, cells) is separated and kept.

What are the different types of apheresis?

Types of inpatient and outpatient apheresis procedures provided at Inova include Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP), Leukapheresis (White Blood Cell Depletion), Plasmapheresis (Therapeutic Plasma Exchange), Plateletpheresis (Platelet Depletion), Red Blood Cell (RBC) Exchange and Therapeutic Phlebotomy.

What is the medical term for apheresis?

Reviewed on 3/29/2021. Apheresis: The process of removing a specific component from blood temporarily. Also known as hemapheresis and pheresis.

CAR-T Cell Therapy: Apheresis

31 related questions found

When is plasmapheresis used?

Plasmapheresis can stop this process by removing the plasma that contains antibodies and replacing it with new plasma. In recent years, the therapy has increasingly been used to treat people who are critically ill with infections and other problems such as Wilson's disease and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Why would a patient need apheresis?

Apheresis may be used for the collection of donor blood components or for the removal of parts of the blood that might contain disease-provoking elements. Apheresis may be used in the treatment of blood cancers and a range of other blood disorders.

Is apheresis the same as dialysis?

Plasmapheresis is similar to dialysis; however, it removes the plasma portion of the blood where the antibodies are located.

How does a plasmapheresis machine work?

Apheresis units incorporate polyvinyl tubing that draws blood from the patient and moves it through centrifuges and/or filters to separate blood products. The blood is then returned to the patient via tubing or is collected in bags, often suspended from a pole, for donation or disposal.

What diseases is apheresis used for?

Apheresis can be used in the treatment of:

• myasthenia gravis,
• Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia,
• Goodpasture's syndrome,
• familial hypercholesterolemia,
• hyperviscosity syndrome (such as mixed cryoglobulinemia, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura),
• the HELLP syndrome of pregnancy,

Is plasmapheresis the same as IVIG?

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a biological agent obtained through the fractionation of blood from 2000–16,000 patients. Plasma exchange (PLEX) is a blood separation technique thought to remove autoantibodies. Both IVIG and PLEX have been found to be effective disease stabilizing therapies for patients with MGC.

Is plasmapheresis the same as blood transfusion?

Although the term plasmapheresis technically refers only to the removal of plasma, it is also widely used to encompass therapeutic plasma exchange in which a replacement product is transfused after removal of the plasma.

What is apheresis procedure?

The process of apheresis involves removal of whole blood from a patient or donor. Within an instrument that is essentially designed as a centrifuge, the components of whole blood are separated. One of the separated portions is then withdrawn and the remaining components are retransfused into the patient or donor.

Does plasmapheresis remove all antibodies?

Plasmapheresis is a process that filters the blood and removes harmful antibodies. It is a procedure done similarly to dialysis; however, it specifically removes antibodies from the plasma portion of the blood.

Who makes apheresis?

Apheresis Collection Systems - Fresenius Kabi USA.

What does an apheresis rn do?

What is your nursing specialty? I am an apheresis nurse. ... Apheresis procedures are used to collect blood components from healthy individuals (donor) and to treat patients (therapeutic). Donor apheresis collections are performed by community blood services to provide blood products for patients.

Who needs therapeutic apheresis?

Therapeutic cytapheresis

who have the following conditions: acute chest syndrome, stroke, pregnancy, or frequent, severe sickle cell crises. RBC exchange achieves hemoglobin S levels of < 30% without the risk of increased viscosity that can occur because of increased hematocrit with simple transfusion.

Are apheresis machines safe?

Is apheresis safe for me? Yes, apheresis donations are very safe. Each donation is closely supervised by trained staff who observe the donors throughout the process. Only a small percentage of your platelets are collected, so there are no risks of bleeding.

What drugs are removed by plasmapheresis?

Important issues are drug extraction during plasma exchange with chemotherapy, as well as drug classes such as antiinfectives, anticoagulants, antiepileptics, cardiovascular agents, and immunosuppressants.

What is the goal of plasmapheresis treatment?

The goal of TPE is to remove large amounts of disease-causing agents, such as these antibodies, that attack the body and cause symptoms.

What does plasmapheresis mean?

Listen to pronunciation. (PLAZ-muh-feh-REE-sis) A procedure in which a machine is used to separate the plasma (the liquid part of the blood) from the blood cells. After the plasma is separated from the blood cells, the blood cells are mixed with a liquid to replace the plasma and are returned to the body.

How often can you do apheresis?

RED BLOOD CELLS (RBCs) carry oxygen to all parts of the body. Red cell transfusions are most needed after significant blood loss due to trauma, surgery, or to treat anemia. A single red blood cell donation can be made every 8 weeks; a double RBC donation, collected by apheresis, can be made every 16 weeks.

How long does it take plasmapheresis to work?

Plasma exchange takes between 2 and 4 hours. A person will need to remain as still as possible to help the blood to flow smoothly. It may help to watch television or read as a distraction. A medical professional will be present and check for side effects throughout the process.

What are the side effects of apheresis?

Some people have side effects from apheresis. These may include an allergic reaction, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, or low blood pressure. You may feel numbness, tingling, and itching. Most side effects will stop when the treatment ends.

Why plasmapheresis is considered as a successful treatment for patients with autoimmune disorders?

Plasmapheresis treats autoimmune diseases, toxins in the blood, neurological diseases, and very high levels of cholesterol that don't lower with medications or dietary changes. Plasmapheresis removes antibodies against the person's own body cells and tissues (autoantibodies) from the blood.