What's in a Name: Your PLEX or PEX Is Our TPE

Area of Science:

• Apheresis and Transfusion Medicine
• Clinical Terminology Standardization

Background:

• The American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) guidelines standardize therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) terminology.
• Alternative abbreviations like PLEX (PLasma EXchange) and PEX are frequently used in clinical practice and publications.
• Discrepancies in terminology can hinder clear communication among healthcare professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the usage patterns of different abbreviations for therapeutic plasma exchange in medical literature.
• To identify variations in the use of TPE, PLEX, and PEX across different medical specialties.
• To highlight the potential for confusion arising from non-standardized terminology.

Main Methods:

• PubMed searches were conducted using various search terms including "therapeutic plasma exchange," "plasma exchange," TPE, PLEX, and PEX.
• Article usage of these terms was analyzed across different medical specialties and journal types.
• Frequency of use for each abbreviation was compared.

Main Results:

• The abbreviation PLEX was more prevalent than TPE in neurology, nephrology, and rheumatology literature.
• The abbreviation PEX appeared less frequently in hematology, apheresis, and general medicine journals.
• PLEX and PEX were rarely found in apheresis and transfusion medicine publications.

Conclusions:

• Divergent terminology for therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE, PLEX, PEX) exists in medical literature and practice.
• Inconsistent abbreviation use may lead to confusion for both patients and healthcare providers.
• Standardization of terminology, specifically advocating for TPE, is crucial for clear communication in apheresis.