Plasmapheresis

Plasmapheresis, also known as therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), is a therapy that removes and replaces a patient's blood plasma or the fluid content of the blood. It involves removing blood through a catheter or needle and circulating it through a machine where plasma is discarded and replaced with a substitution fluid (mainly albumin solution).

The substitute plasma and the patient's blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) are returned to the patient through a return catheter. The Plasmapheresis Program at UConn Health is one of the most respected therapeutic plasmapheresis programs in the nation.