Double filtration plasmapheresis in different diseases in Thailand

Double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) was applied to the treatment of two different categories from 100 cases that had been collected over a 5 year period (2007-2011). These categories were allocated into groups by size of toxic substances, which were classified as two different kinds of diseases. Group I comprised diseases that were caused by alloimmunity in transplantation, autoimmune diseases, complicated nephrotic syndrome, pure red cell aplasia, and toxemia of pregnancy. This group was treated with a plasma separator (plasmaflow-05, Asahi Kasei) and plasma fractionators, EC-20W. The second group, which included hyperviscosity syndrome, was treated by the same plasma separator, but with different plasma fractionators using EC-40W. This group included diabetes nephropathy, hyperlipidemia, peripheral arterial diseases, and neurosensory hearing loss. Both groups used 1.5 plasma volumes in each treatment for three sessions in two consecutive weeks. The result of treatment in group I showed that plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) was decreased substantially by 66% in either transplant or lupus nephritis patients after the third session. In the second group, IgM, fibrinogen, and lipid markedly responded to the treatment. Two diabetes nephropathy patients showed stable renal function for more than 12 months. Peripheral arterial disease was shown to benefit from significantly decreasing fibrinogen and IgM, which resulted in clinical tissue oxygenation. Neither bleeding diathesis nor membrane anaphylaxis were reported from the treatment. In summary, apheresis patients were shown to benefit in hypersensitized and hyperviscosity syndrome.