Evidence of seriousness in apheresis medicine.

摘要

Therapeutic apheresis, using automated blood processing equipment, has burgeoned into a rich and varied field over the past four decades . In the early days, the capability of processing the blood with therapeutic intent gave rise to enthusiasm and promise, sometimes realized and sometimes tempered by the results of properly controlled clinical trials . Overtime, the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) has devoted its considerable expertise to assessing the state of therapeutic apheresis, and has periodically published special issues of the Journal of Clinical Apheresis in which the field was critically reviewed, indications for apheresis therapy were systematically categorized, and clinical guidelines were offered [4-6].