Use of Plasmapheresis in Nephrology Practice

Plasma exchange (plasmapheresis) is a treatment method based on separating the plasma, one of the 4 components, from whole blood removed from the body and giving the remaining part back to the circulation with replacement fluid. The place of plasmapheresis in the management of kidney disease is often controversial. In this article, we aimed to review the use of plasmapheresis in nephrology practice. Plasmapheresis treatment can be used in Goodpasture’s disease, small vessel vasculitis (crescentic glomerulonephritis), acute renal failure due to multiple myeloma, paraproteinemia or hyperviscosity syndrome, some cases of systemic lupus erythematosus, adult HUS, and acute humoral rejection in renal transplantation patients in nephrology practice together with other treatments.