title: [Therapeutic plasma exchange: a review of the literature].
abstract: Therapeutic plasma exchange is an extracorporeal plasmapheresis method for removing high-molecular-weight pathogens and toxins from the circulation. It can be indicated in many clinical conditions, both kidney-related and non-kidney-related. This review focuses on clinical trials related to Goodpasture syndrome, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, and acute renal insufficiency due to multiple myeloma. It also discusses the difficulties and opportunities associated with the development of a randomized controlled multicenter study and of a web-based database. Finally, we report a summary of the risks and complications of therapeutic plasma exchange and how we can update the information on their frequency and seriousness by means of a longitudinal prospective multicenter study open to all centers performing the procedure.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Nefrologia, Dialisi e Trapianto, Ospedale Alessandro Manzoni, Lecco, Italy. s.andrulli@ospedale.lecco.it
authors.forename: Simeone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andrulli
authors.forename: Maria Carla
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bigi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Granata
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cossu
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Logias
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D000465:Algorithms; D019867:Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D010951:Plasma Exchange / Q000379:methods; D010956:Plasmapheresis / Q000379:methods; D011697:Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic / Q000628:therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome