Plasmapheresis and plasma exchange at the Pavlov MCSC branch

News 06/24/2022

Extracorporeal hemocorrection is a group of methods of blood processing in order to remove from its composition pathological substances that cause or support the disease. 

• Today there are more than 30 different techniques in the world. Among them are plasmapheresis and plasma exchange.

Plasmapheresis is a therapeutic procedure in which plasma with pathological substances contained in it is removed from whole blood, and the formed elements separated from it (erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets) are returned to the patient. 

• Plasmapheresis allows simultaneous removal of up to 30% of the circulating plasma volume (about 600-1000 ml per session). 
• The duration of the procedure is about 1.5 hours. 
• On average, to achieve a lasting effect, it is necessary to perform 3-5 sessions of plasmapheresis, depending on the severity of the disease and laboratory parameters.
• Plasmapheresis can be performed on an outpatient basis without hospitalization. 

High–volume plasma exchange is a method in which 70 to 90% of the circulating plasma volume is removed in one procedure.

• At the same time, the same volume is replaced with plasma substitutes and blood coagulation factors. 
• A high-volume plasma exchange session lasts about 4.5-5 hours and requires short-term hospitalization in order to dynamically monitor the general condition of the patient.

As a result, after these procedures, the blood is cleansed of toxins, poisons, immune complexes, components of inflammation, etc., its indicators improve, the patient begins to feel better. 

Who needs to carry out these methods and when?

Hemocorrection procedures are widely used in such fields as cardiology, rheumatology, therapy, allergology, endocrinology, dermatovenerology, cosmetology, neurology, nephrology, etc.

Plasmapheresis and plasma exchange are most often used for the following diseases:

• atherosclerosis of vessels, hyperlipid syndrome, hypertensive disease;
• Myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, multiple sclerosis;
• active autoimmune chronic hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis.
• diabetes mellitus, thyrotoxicosis;
• rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic vasculitis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, hemolytic-uremic syndrome, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura;
• autoimmune hemolytic anemia, antiphospholipid syndrome, sickle cell anemia, acute and chronic leukemia, porphyria;
• psoriasis, atopic dermatitis;
• various forms of bronchial asthma, metabolic form of gout, rapidly progressing glomerulonephritis, myeloma nephropathy, etc.

Do plasmapheresis and plasma exchange have contraindications?

As with any treatment, there are both absolute and relative contraindications.

Absolute (completely exclude the use of methods):

• bleeding or high risk of its development;
• acute infections;
• allergic reactions to plasma substitution components;
• unstable hemodynamics;
• decompensation of some chronic diseases.

Relative (the decision to conduct is made by the doctor):

• anemia (low hemoglobin levels);
• Hypoproteinemia (low levels of protein in the blood);
• hemostasis disorders (changes in blood clotting);
• low patient weight (less than 50 kg);
• alcohol intoxication, mental illness, etc.

You can go through these procedures at our MCSC Pavlova branch.

You can make an appointment for the procedure by calling the call center +7 (495) 304 30 39.

Our address: Akademika Pavlova str., 22 (Molodezhnaya metro station).