Hardware plasmapheresis — recommendations for doctors

During the plasmapheresis procedure — if we are talking about the hardware method, which is the most appropriate today, since we live in a technological age — everything happens online. Blood is drawn and passed through a special plasma filter with pores fine enough to let only the plasma through. The dense part that remains after separation is combined with saline and returned to the body. The plasma is drained and disposed of. Naturally, only part of it: we have a great deal of plasma. We do not drain it all, we simply dilute it a little. Plasma is essentially water — the same saline solution — with various molecules floating in it, and in principle plasma renews itself very quickly, unlike cells.

The procedure is comparable to having blood drawn from a vein. There are no unpleasant sensations during it: you lie on a bed, comfortable and at ease, watching television. You lie there for an hour or so, get up, drink some hot sweet tea with a biscuit, and go about your business. There are no unpleasant sensations at all.