adovr_d87389c80da99bef8f38776d3f905184 Articles medical and health: An Insight On Therapeutic Plasma Exchange

An Insight On Therapeutic Plasma Exchange

By Ann Scott


Plasma exchange involves a process where a colorless fluid that forms blood composition known as the plasma is removed. This is caused by the fact that it may contain harmful compounds and toxins that may be life-threatening. This means the fluid is sucked leaving behind the red, and white blood cells and platelets among other useful substances. Another fluid that has a similar functioning manner is introduced substituting the removed one. It is an effective way of removing harmful substances from your body that may result in dangerous effects. Therefore, when faced with blood toxic issues, therapeutic plasma exchange is the solution you should look for.

There are a variety of illnesses that can be treated through this procedure. The may be in the form of autoimmune or neurological illnesses that have infected the blood. Such diseases include but are not limited to Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura or TTP, typed of multiple sclerosis, acute pancreatitis, and Myasthenia gravis. This procedure prevents the condition from advancing further and allows the body to become more resistant.

The main procedure is done within a unique machine designed for this particular purpose. It works on the principle of separating the various blood components so as to effectively drain out the colorless fluid while causing no interference to the other parts. These procedures usually take a maximum of four hours to complete and should be done several times in order to ensure the complete removal of the fluid.

The patient is normally injected in the veins located on both arms. The type of needle used is an IV needle that is connected to the machine through a tube that allows the blood access to and from the machine. Blood clots may occur and prevent smooth passage of the rest of your blood through the tube. To avoid this, anticoagulants are added into the blood after it is drawn.

When the blood comes into contact with the machine, there are components that are responsible for detaching components into different separations. When this is done, it has a mechanism that drains the colorless liquid and adds another supplement to the other components and directs the composition back to the patient. When this procedure becomes complicated, albumin and saline may be used as complements.

Like any other medical procedure, this exchange is not without risks. If the colorless fluid is replaced with a fluid from a human donor, the body may react to it and cause adverse anaphylactic reactions. When saline and albumin are used, they may contain fewer proteins than the colorless blood fluid thus increasing the risks of infections. Other conditions include low blood pressure and headaches.

It is also concerned with causing conditions like hypertension and head related problems. That is why it is recommended to undergo the procedure in the case where this is the only option left. However, in order to make this decision, the symptoms observed should be convincing for the procedure.

Although there are some certain risks involved with opting to undertake the exchange, it has been proven to a safe and efficient method of dealing with harmful antibodies in the liquid part of the blood. Death is a very rare occurrence in these procedures making it be relatively safe. Other consequences that arise from the procedure can be dealt with through proper medications.




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