Current status of therapeutic plasma exchange in Korea.
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%).
Song
Eun Young
EY
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Kwon
Seog Woon
SW
Kim
Dal Sik
DS
Kim
Dae Won
DW
Kim
Dong Wook
DW
Kim
Hyun Ok
HO
Park
Chong Won
CW
Suh
Jang Soo
JS
Ryang
Dong Wook
DW
Lee
Jeong Nyeo
JN
Lee
Jong Wook
JW
Lim
Young Ae
YA
Lim
Chae Seung
CS
Jeon
Dong Seok
DS
Han
Chi Wha
CW
Han
Tae Hee
TH
Han
Kyou Sup
KS
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