title: Therapeutic apheresis in neurology critical care.
abstract: Therapeutic apheresis has been widely accepted in the treatment of neurological disorders that are understood to be mediated by humoral and/or cellular immunity. The clinical presumption is that well-established and/or unknown insults cause damage to nerves or their myelin sheaths. The rationale for apheresis treatments for these neurological disorders relates to removal of offending immune (or other) mediators, thus blunting the attack and permitting recovery of nerve and/or myelin. This review will concentrate on the role of therapeutic apheresis, in particular therapeutic plasma exchange, in neurological disorders that may frequently be seen by intensivists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02135, USA.
authors.forename: Neela
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Natarajan
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weinstein
mesh_terms: D020274:Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001781:Blood Component Removal; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D010951:Plasma Exchange; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous