EXCHANGE TRANSFUSION

Course overview

THERAPEUTIC PLASMA EXCHANGE (TPE) IS A PROCEDURE EMPLOYED TO "CLEANSE" THE BLOOD OF VARIOUS PATHOLOGIC ENTITIES INCLUDING ANTIBODIES, IMMUNE COMPLEXES, CELLULAR ELEMENTS, INFECTIOUS AGENTS, AND TOXINS. A VARIETY OF CONDITIONS ARE RESPONSIVE TO THERAPY WITH TPE EITHER AS A FIRST-LINE INTERVENTION OR ADJUNCT THERAPY. TPE, OR PLASMAPHERESIS, CONSISTS OF THE SEPARATION OF WHOLE BLOOD INTO ITS LIQUID AND CELLULAR COMPONENTS VIA CENTRIFUGAL OR MEMBRANE-FILTER TECHNIQUE FOLLOWED BY REINTRODUCTION OF ALBUMIN AND/OR DONOR PLASMA TP THE CELLULAR COMPONENTS AND RE-INFUSION. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE PROCESS OF TPE, THE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT OF CONDITIONS RESPONSIVE TO THERAPEUTIC PLASMA EXCHANGE, AND THE ROLE OF AN INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM PERFORMING THIS INTERVENTIONAL THERAPY.