Abstract
Despite the wide number of diseases currently or previously treated with plasma exchange and plasmapheresis, the clinical effectiveness of these treatments has been established by large, controlled clinical trials only in few clinical conditions. The firmly accepted and the possible indications for these techniques in critically ill patients are reviewed and discussed, as well as their complications and possible side effects.
MeSH terms
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Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease / therapy
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Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic
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Critical Care*
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Critical Illness
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Humans
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Immune System Diseases / therapy
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Multiple Organ Failure / therapy
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Myasthenia Gravis / therapy
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Plasma Exchange / adverse effects
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Plasma Exchange / methods
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Plasmapheresis / adverse effects
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Plasmapheresis / methods*
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Polyradiculoneuropathy / therapy
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Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic / therapy
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Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / therapy