Therapeutic Apheresis: Apheresis refers to 'separating' and therapeutic refers to 'treating'. Apheresis is used to explain multifarious processes of removing whole blood, separating the blood components, collecting one or more components or exchanging for treatment. Therapeutic Apheresis processes as well as Apheresis Donation are carried out in our Apheresis Center.
Apheresis Process is performed by apheresis machines. Basically;
1. Blood is drawn from the body through apheresis machine (blood separation) with the help of a needle or catheter
2. During this process, anticoagulant medicines are involved in blood to prevent blood clots.
3. The component or cell to be separated from blood is separated by the machine and passed through a bag.
4. Remaining blood in the blood separator apparatus is re-transfused the patient/donor through a catheter or a second vascular access
5. Sets used in the machines are unboxed for each patient/donor privately as it is sterile and it is eliminated. Apheresis procedures may take 1 to 6 hours approximately.
Apheresis Process is determined by the clinic / ward physician who identifies indication and executive apheresis physician together.
Patients and donors are referred to our Apheresis Center by the related departments. The procedures are planned by examination and vascular access control of the patients and donors consulted. Patient/Donor is closely monitorized by an apheresis nurse for potential complications during apheresis process. Eating is recommended before when apheresis process is planned for the patient/donor.
THERAPEUTIC APHERESIS TYPES
1. DONOR APHERESIS (collecting blood component from a healthy donor)
plasmapheresis cytapheresis
plateletpheresis erythrocytapheresis
granulocyte apheresis lymphocyte apheresis
2-) THERAPEUTIC APHERESIS (treatment-oriented process for patients)
cytapheresis Therapeutic leukopheresis
Therapeutic erythrocyte exchange Therapeutic plateletpheresis
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP)
Therapeutic Phlebotomy
3-) Peripheral Stem Cell Apheresis
Autologous stem cell collection allogenic stem cell collection
Apheresis process is applied to treat many diseases today such as;
Neurological Diseases
Hematological Diseases
Renal and Rheumatic Diseases
Liver and Kidney Diseases
Skin Diseases
Chronic Intestinal Diseases
Mushroom, carbon monoxide poisoning and medicinal poisoning
Heart Diseases
Infectious Diseases
Familial High Cholesterol
Apheresis protocols are executed in the treatment of developed complications during preparation or after organ and stem cell transplants.
Children's Hospital Therapeutic Apheresis Center is located inside MHC (Main Mass) Children's Chemotherapy Unit.