Plasmaferesi

Plasmaferesi is a medical procedure used to separate blood components. During plasmaferesi, blood is drawn from a donor or patient and passed through a special machine. This machine centrifugally separates the blood into its different parts, primarily plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The desired component, most often plasma, is collected, while the remaining components are returned to the donor or patient.

Plasmaferesi can be performed for different purposes. Therapeutic plasmaferesi is used to treat various medical conditions. In these cases, the patient's own plasma is removed because it contains harmful antibodies, toxins, or other substances. The removed plasma is then replaced with a substitute, such as albumin or donor plasma. This procedure can be beneficial for autoimmune diseases, certain neurological disorders, and conditions involving excessive levels of certain proteins in the blood.

Donation plasmaferesi, on the other hand, is a method of collecting plasma from healthy donors for medical use. This collected plasma can be processed to create life-saving therapies, such as clotting factors for hemophilia or antibodies for treating infections. The red blood cells and other components are returned to the donor, allowing them to donate plasma more frequently than whole blood. The process is generally safe, with potential side effects usually being mild and temporary, such as fatigue or bruising at the needle site.