Plasma exchange in patients with toxic epidermal necrolysis.
We describe our experience with plasma exchange (PE) therapy in 13 patients with drug-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), 4 of whom had malignant disorders. Skin lesions covered 17% to 100% of total body surface area and 1 to 4 mucous membranes were involved. None of the patients was hospitalized in a burn unit. The patients underwent from 2 to 5 PE sessions (mean 3.4 +/- 0.2 standard error of mean [SEM], median 3) exchanging 6.6 to 17.6 L of plasma (mean 10.1 +/- 0.7 SEM, median 10). PE sessions were carried out every other day in 8 patients and daily in 5. Three patients died (23%) while the remaining 10 (77%) had a full recovery. Plasmapheresis may be an effective treatment in patients with drug-induced TEN hospitalized outside a burn unit.
Renal Unit, General Hospital G. Papanikolaou, Aristotele University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
Gerasimos
G
Bamichas
Taisir
T
Natse
Fotini
F
Christidou
Maria
M
Stangou
Anna
A
Karagianni
Sotiris
S
Koukourikos
Georgios
G
Chaidemenos
Fotis
F
Chrysomallis
Kostas
K
Sombolos
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010951:Plasma Exchange; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013262:Stevens-Johnson Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome