Apheretic Department

The Apheresis Department of IHBT performs the following apheretic therapeutic procedures in patients:

Therapeutic plasma exchange (plasmapheresis)
During this therapeutic apheresis, plasma is effectively removed from the patient's blood circulation and replaced either with plasma or albumin solution. Autoimmune antibodies, circulating immune complexes, paraproteins, etc. are removed with the plasma.

Red blood cell exchange (erythrocyte exchange)
A therapeutic procedure used to rapidly remove abnormal red blood cells from the patient's circulation and replace them with red blood cells from healthy donors. It is used, for example, in the treatment of sickle cell anemia.

Depletion leukocytapheresis, leukodepletion (white blood cell collection, leukocyte separation/depletion)
A therapeutic procedure used to rapidly remove elevated white blood cells from the patient's circulation. On the separator, white blood cells are separated from other blood components and collected into a collection bag. The procedure is performed in hyperleukocytic patients with acute or chronic leukemia.

Depletion erythrocytapheresis, erythrocyte depletion (red blood cell collection, erythrocyte separation/depletion)
A therapeutic procedure used to rapidly remove elevated red blood cells from the patient's circulation. On the separator, erythrocytes are separated from other blood components and collected into a collection bag. The procedure is performed in patients with primary polycythemia and secondary erythrocytosis.

Depletion thrombocytapheresis, thrombocyte depletion (platelet collection, thrombocyte separation/depletion)
A therapeutic procedure used to rapidly remove elevated platelets from the patient's circulation. On the separator, excess platelets are separated from other blood components and collected into a collection bag. The procedure is performed in patients with difficult-to-control thrombocytosis, for example in myeloproliferative disease.

Collection of hematopoietic cells from peripheral blood
Hematopoietic cells are mobilized from the bone marrow into peripheral blood in donors and patients following prior mobilization preparation. They are collected from blood using hemapheresis technique. Peripheral hematopoietic cells are capable of restoring hematopoiesis and immune function in patients after high-dose chemotherapy.

IgG Immunoadsorption
A therapeutic procedure enabling effective removal of antibodies, inhibitors and immune complexes from the blood of patients. The method uses immunoadsorption columns. It is suitable in situations where centrifugation methods fail to reduce the content of unwanted components in circulation.
It is most frequently performed in patients with autoimmune disease, or in patients as part of pre-transplant or post-transplant regimen to remove Ig acting against the surface structures of transplanted cells. It is effective in the treatment of patients with myasthenia gravis, hemophilia A with inhibitor to factor VIII and in patients with refractory TTP.

Extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP, photopheresis, extracorporeal photochemotherapy)
A therapeutic procedure that affects the reactivity of the patient's immune system. The method is indicated in the treatment of diseases in which T lymphocytes participate in the pathogenesis. Photochemotherapy is an effective method in the treatment of graft-versus-host disease and in the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas.
On the blood cell separator, a portion of white blood cells (lymphocytes and monocytes) are collected from the patient's blood. The patient is then disconnected from the device. A photosensitizing substance 8-methoxypsoralen is added to the white blood cells and the cells are subsequently exposed to ultraviolet A radiation. The modified cells are returned as autotransfusion back into the patient's bloodstream.