title: Current status of therapeutic plasma exchange in Korea.
abstract: A nationwide survey on the status of plasma exchange in Korea was performed during the 2 year period 2001-02. Data from 496 patients were collected from 15 major hospitals. The most common indication was myasthenia gravis (15.3%), followed by thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (14.5%) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (9.7%). Clinical improvement was noted in 70.1% of the 415 cases. Plasma exchange by centrifugation alone accounted for 92.4%. Postcentrifugal filtration was carried out in 5.6% and double filtration in 2.0% of treatments. The most common instruments for the centrifugation were Cobe Spectra (71.3%) and Fenwal CS3000 (15.8%). Filtration was performed by either Kuraray KM8300 or Kuraray KM8800. The overall frequency of complications was 11.1% (293/2647 cases), of which symptomatic hypocalcemia was the most common (2.3%).
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Young
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Seog Woon
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Dal Sik
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dae Won
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Wook
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun Ok
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chong Won
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jang Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Dong Wook
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Ryang
authors.forename: Jeong Nyeo
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jong Wook
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young Ae
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Chae Seung
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Dong Seok
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Chi Wha
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Tae Hee
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Kyou Sup
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006463:Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D010951:Plasma Exchange / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011697:Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D012042:Registries