Apheresis

Therapeutic apheresis involves the targeted removal of harmful substances from the body. To do this, the blood plasma is first separated from the blood cells (plasma separation in the primary device). The plasma is then passed through the adsorber using a secondary device. The harmful substances are bound there. The purified plasma is then reunited with the blood cells in the primary device and infused back into the patient.

If the adsorber's removal performance decreases, it is automatically regenerated with various rinsing solutions so that the adsorber's performance is restored.

The following diagram shows schematically an apheresis treatment.

Apheresis is usually a safe therapy with few side effects. In contrast to drug treatment, it can be stopped immediately at any time. This makes it a fast-acting therapy option that can also be used during pregnancy (Fassbender et al. 2015).