Therapeutic Plasma Exchange: What We Know and What We Think We Know

摘要

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is an extracorporeal blood purification technique in which plasma is separated from the cellular components of a patient's blood. The plasma is discarded carrying with it substances such as albumin, protein-bound toxins, immune complexes, and autoantibodies. The cellular components are then re-suspended in a colloid solution and returned to the patient. Although more widely utilized in human medicine, in veterinary medicine, TPE has been used to treat a limited number of autoimmune diseases and toxin ingestions.