THERAPEUTIC PLASMA ADSORPTION - A REVIEW

Alternative techniques to the traditional plasma exchange are emerging in clinical practice for the treatment of different pathological cond itions, particularly autoimmune diseases. Filtration is a technique us ed to separate blood cells from plasma, which may be further ''treated '' with other filters or columns. The case for cascade filtration and absorption onto a column is becoming stronger and stronger and the pat ient population is increasing. Alongside the ''historical'' techniques of adsorption onto a column, new systems (pairs of self-regenerating columns) and new products (columns with dextran sulphate, tryptophane, anti-human lipoprotein antibodies) are now available. Protein A in pa rticular seems to open up new horizons; in therapeutic plasmapheresis, there are two versions, one Swedish and the other American, based on different theoretical premises and obtaining different results, with d ifferent biocompatibilities but good clinical results.