Ramón E. Giacchi, Instituto de Nefrologia de Entre Rios, Paraná, Entre Ríos, Argentina
Lucas D. Costa, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe Capital, Santa Fe, Argentina
Albero R. Bustos, Instituto de Nefrologia de Entre Rios, Paraná, Entre Ríos, Argentina
Objective: To evaluate the response to treatment using plasma exchange by filtration in an unpublished sample of 296 patients over a 30-year period, highlighting its consistent application and efficacy in various pathologies. Materials and methods: An observational, descriptive-analytical, retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted, gathering data from 296 patients (325 cycles, 2252 sessions) with 23 treated pathologies between January 1993 and June 2023 across 8 healthcare entities. Results: About 55.7% of the patients were female and the global average age was 49.2 ± 18.9 years. Principal diagnoses included Guillain-Barré syndrome and related conditions (51.4%), myasthenia gravis (16.9%), thrombotic microangiopathies (11.1%), encephalitis/myelitis (9.1%), and others (11.5%). Kidney pathologies were present in 11.5% of patients. The study identified a medical discharge rate of 72.6%, with a 12.2% of the patients displaying partial treatment response, and 15.2% experiencing mortality due to inadequate response. Mortality correlated with fewer sessions (p = 0.001), use of fresh frozen plasma (p = 0.01), intensive care unit admission (p = 0.03), and mechanical respiratory assistance on admission (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The research underscores PE’s efficacy in severe autoimmune diseases, especially neurological ones, advo
Keywords: Therapeutic plasma exchange. Plasmapheresis. Autoimmune disorders. Nervous system diseases. Treatment outcome.