Continuous membrane plasma separation: three years of experience
Sprenger, K.B.
Life support systems the journal of the European Society for Artificial Organs 1(4): 235-246
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0261-989X PMID: 6679018 Document Number: 5136
A literature review shows that the list of indications for plasma separation is constantly increasing. At present, the plasma exchange therapy has been employed against more than 30 different diseases9. The number of centres and the procedures performed have rapidly increased. In the USA alone, approximately 40 000 plasmaphereses were performed with cell separators in 1980. The situation in the Federal Republic of Germany is similar, but here the membrane plasma separation procedure dominates. This development was possible only because MPS is an efficient plasma exchange procedure that can be used almost without complications when a careful monitoring is performed13. The cost, which is still high, will probably be reduced in future, when the prices of the separators should fall, and because of albumin recovery. Publications on the successful use of plasmapheresis are usually case reports. Controlled studies that, due to the low incidence of the diseases, would have to be carried out on a multicentre basis are still lacking. A standardization of volume exchanges, substitution solution and exchange frequency would be mandatory for such studies. Since medical societies for the investigation of the procedure have already been established (e.g., in Japan) the clarification of these questions will be their main concern.
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