What does TPE mean in BRITISH MEDICINE

Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) is a procedure that involves extracting a volume of plasma from the patient, replacing it with a replacement fluid, and returning the newly replaced plasma back to the patient. It can be used in cases where removal of autoantibodies, infectious agents, or other harmful molecules are present in the blood and need to be removed from circulation.

TPE is performed by drawing a venous blood sample from a central venous catheter or through an arm vein. The sample is passed through a filtration system to separate out the plasma from the red blood cells and white cells. The replacement fluid, typically albumin or saline, is then combined with anti-coagulants and returned to the patient through the same catheter or arm vein.

TPE can be used to treat various neurological disorders such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis, Myotonic Dystrophy type 2 (DM2), Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP), HELLP syndrome, and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP). In addition it may also be used in conditions like autoimmune hemolytic anemia and some kidney diseases.

Possible side effects of TPE include fatigue, headache, low blood pressure during procedure due to rapid infusion/reduction of intravascular volume, infection at insertion site for central line placement if applicable, fever and chills due to changes in body temperature. Other rare but serious side effects may include anaphylaxis due to infusion reaction or air embolism from over-heparinization.

Depending on how much plasma needs to be exchanged and other factors specific to each individual case such as medical history and anatomy of access site(s), a typical therapeutic plasma exchange procedure will take about 2 hours start to finish including set-up time for equipment sterilization/monitoring/consumables etc.

The frequency of treatment depends on individual case needs; your healthcare provider will advise how many treatments you need and how often they should occur. Generally speaking however most patients undergoing therapeutic plasma exchange require 1-3 treatments per week depending on their clinical condition until symptoms improve then one treatment every 2-4 weeks as maintenance therapy.

Yes, most insurance plans cover all or part of the cost of therapeutic plasma exchange treatments however coverage may vary so you should check with your specific plan’s policy before beginning any treatments.

No age requirement exists for this procedure however preferences should always be taken into account when considering any treatment options especially for pediatric patients.

It’s generally not recommended that pregnant women receive this treatment due to potential risk associated with its use along with limited research available regarding its safety when used during pregnancy.