Plasmapheresis

Plasmapheresis (from the Greek aphairesis = to take away, to remove) is an extracorporeal medical procedure for the targeted purification of blood plasma. In this process, the blood is separated outside the body into its cellular components and blood plasma. The plasma is then purified of disease-causing, toxic, or otherwise undesirable substances and molecules using appropriate filtration or adsorption methods. The purified plasma and the blood cells are subsequently returned to the patient. 

The procedure can be used in particular for certain autoimmune and systemic diseases in which disease-relevant substances are present in the blood plasma. Depending on the method used, pathological antibodies, immune complexes, certain proteins, or other undesirable molecules can be removed from the plasma. The removal of certain exogenous contaminants—such as selected pesticides, insecticides, or heavy metals—can also be the focus of extracorporeal blood or plasma purification. The specific effectiveness and suitability of the procedure depend on the substance in question and the purification method used. 

The treatment is performed using an extracorporeal blood circulation system. Blood is drawn from the body through a venous access site and directed into the apheresis system. There, the blood cells are separated from the plasma. The separated plasma is then passed through a suitable filter system or an adsorber, which retains or binds the substances to be removed. The purified plasma is then recombined with the blood cells and returned to the patient via the venous access site. 

The fundamental principle of plasmapheresis is thus to selectively remove components from the blood plasma that are harmful to health or associated with disease, while preserving the body’s essential blood components and returning them to the body.