It is an extracorporeal clearance method that allows the therapeutic removal of high molecular weight pathological substances found in the blood plasma, which circulate throughout the body causing damage to various tissues and corresponding diseases in humans.

Such pathological substances may include:

- Proteins produced by the body itself that act against it, such as antibodies and immune complexes associated with autoimmune diseases.

- Proteins produced in excessive amounts, as seen in hematological disorders.

- Lipids in severe forms of hyperlipidemia.

- Foreign substances that enter the body, bind to plasma proteins, and cannot be removed by other means, such as in cases of toxicity due to overdose of certain drugs.

Therefore, the method is applied to several groups of diseases involving various medical specialties.

At Nephrondia, the method of therapeutic plasmapheresis is applied following referrals from patients' attending physicians and involves various specialties, including neurologists, hematologists, cardiologists, and others.

Examples of cases referred for therapeutic plasmapheresis at the Nephrology Center Nephrondia include:

– Multiple sclerosis relapses that did not respond to medication.

– Relapses of severe myasthenia gravis that did not respond to medication.

– Optic neuromyelitis.

– Myelopathy with ataxia.

– Eaton-Lambert syndrome.

– Multiple myeloma and Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia.

– Severe forms of familial hyperlipidemia that are not managed with maximum lipid-lowering therapy.

The treatment usually lasts 2–3 hours, and in the vast majority of cases, the procedure is performed through two peripheral veins, thus avoiding the placement of central venous catheters. After the treatment is completed, the two intravenous catheters are removed, and the patient returns home.

The required number of plasmapheresis sessions, depending on the disease and the treating physician’s preference, is usually between 5 and 7 and they are performed every other day.

The final number of treatments may be increased, or the treatments may continue at longer intervals for a certain period, e.g., every 7 or 15 days, depending on the treatment outcome and the recommendations of the attending physician.

At the Nephrology Center Nephrontida, we are available to assist every patient therapeutically with their condition by providing the treatment option of plasmapheresis, whenever it is deemed necessary by their attending physician.