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Apheresis without substitution fluid: devices, directions and limitations
Life Support Systems : the Journal of the European Society for Artificial Organs
|January 1, 1984
Summary
Closed-loop apheresis offers a way to return a patient's own plasma after removing harmful substances, avoiding large volumes of replacement fluids. This review covers various plasma separation methods for this therapeutic approach.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Clinical Chemistry
Background:
- Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) often requires large volumes of exogenous substitution fluid, posing economic and medical challenges.
- Pathogenic substances in plasma necessitate removal, but current methods can be burdensome.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review physicochemical processes for plasma fractionation applicable to closed-loop apheresis.
- To evaluate the potential of closed-loop apheresis in reducing the need for substitution fluids.
Main Methods:
- Review of plasma separation techniques including ultrafiltration, fractional precipitation, adsorption, electrophoresis, and enzymatic degradation.
- Analysis of their application in closed-loop apheresis systems.
Main Results:
- Various separation processes differ in mechanism, specificity, and developmental stage.
- Cascade filtration and cryofiltration are commercially available and suitable for specific diseases.
Conclusions:
- Closed-loop apheresis presents a viable alternative to traditional TPE by utilizing patient's own plasma.
- Specific filtration protocols show promise for clinical application in apheresis therapy.