Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Therapeutic apheresis is a procedure, which removes pathologic substances, that are the causes of the diseases in the plasma of patients, by seperation of plasma from the blood and exchange it with replacement fluid via special technics. Therapeutic apheresis is indicated in a number of hematologic, neurologic, nephrologic, rheumatologic, dermatologic and metabolic disorders. In order to increase the awareness of the therapeutic apheresis process which can be overlooked in the current practice, especially in the clinics which do not have the apheresis unit, we examined the procedures and technics carried out within the therapeutic apheresis unit of our hospital.

METHODS

Our study was performed retrospectively using 5 years data of therapeutic apheresis treatments applied to the patients from various clinics, in our hospital apheresis unit. The procedures performed were investigated according to the diagnosis of the patients and th departments whose patients were applied the procedure.

RESULTS

Therapeutic apheresis treatment was applied mostly in the hematology department when compared with other clinics. Respectively, nephrology, intensive care unit and neurology departments were the other clinics whose patients needed therapeutic apheresis treatment frequently.. When a diagnosis-based examination was performed, hematological diseases were in the first place, subsequently followed by nephrological, neurological and rheumatologic diseases. The procedures performed varied according to the indications.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Therapeutic apheresis, which has been previously used as a supportive or adjunctive treatment option, is now becoming a part of the main treatment due to the availability of disease-specific treatments through newly developed technical equipments. For this reason, there is a need for coordination of multidisciplinary councils with the cooperation of clinics and apheresis units.