Therapeutic plasmapheresis and plasma exchange

Autoantibodies as Biomarker and Therapeutic Target in Systemic Sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare connective tissue disorder characterized by immune dysregulation evoking the pathophysiological triad of inflammation, fibrosis and vasculopathy. In SSc, several alterations in the B-cell compartment have been described, leading to polyclonal B-cell hyperreactivity, hypergammaglobulinemia and autoantibody production. Autoreactive B cells and autoantibodies promote and maintain pathologic mechanisms. In addition, autoantibodies in SSc are important biomarkers for predicting clinical phenotype and disease progression. Autoreactive B cells and autoantibodies represent potentially promising targets for therapeutic approaches including B-cell-targeting therapies, as well as strategies for unselective and selective removal of autoantibodies. In this review, we present mechanisms of the innate immune system leading to the generation of autoantibodies, alterations of the B-cell compartment in SSc, autoantibodies as biomarkers and autoantibody-mediated pathologies in SSc as well as potential therapeutic approaches to target these.

Treatment with therapeutic plasma exchange in severe COVID-19 pneumonia: A case report and review of the literature

The role of various therapeutic approaches on the clinical improvement in patients with severe COVID-19 is being researched. Few published studies show positive outcomes after the use of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). However, additional clinical evidence is required to understand better the role of therapeutic plasma exchange in severe COVID-19 patients. Thereby, we report a case of a 57-year-old female with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who was included in clinical trial NCT04592705. Prompt treatment with TPE facilitated improved clinical-laboratory parameters and speedy recovery and prevented further deterioration of the condition or complications. Successful therapeutic strategies in our case suggest that TPE as a therapeutic option in critically ill COVID-19 patients could prevent the disease from worsening and reduce the need for mechanical ventilation and intensive supportive care in these patients.

Lower In-Hospital Mortality with Plasma Exchange than Plasmapheresis in a Subgroup Analysis of 374 Lupus Patients

Background

Apheresis treatment includes plasmapheresis (PP) and plasma exchange (PE), and these terms are commonly used interchangeably. Nevertheless, the two procedures are carried out differently. The aims of this study were to investigate the mortality rate of patients who underwent therapeutic apheresis and compare the mortality rate between PP and PE.

Methods

We conducted a medical chart review retrospective study. All identified subjects (n = 436) were over 20 years old with at least one ICD-9-CM intervention code plasmapheresis or plasma exchange and at least one diagnosis code with rheumatic disease. All of them were hospitalized to Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between 1st of January, 2000, and 31st of December, 2014.

Results

436 nonoverlapping patients had never received PE and/or PP before 1 Jan, 2000. Among all the patients, 350 received PE, 63 received PP, and 23 received both therapies. Female patients accounted for 85.09% of patients. The overall mortality rate was 4.65% in the PE subgroup, 4.76% with combination therapy, and 13.46% in the PP subgroup. There were 374 patients diagnosed as SLE, which is the majority of overall patients who received PE and/or PE. In multivariate analysis, PE was the sole independent factor predictor of survival in SLE subgroup patients (p = 0.02, exp(B) = 0.314, 95% CI 0.12–0.81).

Conclusions

We showed that both PP and PE were used in treating a variety of autoimmune disorders. Plasmapheresis was preferentially carried out in patients with peripheral neuropathy. In 374 lupus patients treated with either PE or PP, PE is superior to PP in reducing in-hospital mortality.

Therapeutic plasma exchange for the treatment of systemic sclerosis: A comprehensive review and analysis

Background:

Therapeutic plasma exchange has been tried as a treatment approach for systemic sclerosis since 1978 based on the rationale that some circulating factor is involved in disease pathogenesis, for example, autoantibodies or immune complexes, and that removing the potential pathogenic factors could lead to symptom improvement. Based on our impression that clinicians and researchers are largely unaware that a large volume of research has been published about the use of therapeutic plasma exchange as a treatment for systemic sclerosis, we conducted a comprehensive review and analysis of all published research on this topic.

Results:

We identified 46 relevant articles that met our search criteria, involving a total of 572 patients. Of these, 19 were case studies; the rest ranged from small observational studies to prospective randomized clinical trials. In all but two studies, most patients receiving therapeutic plasma exchange showed improvements in both clinical symptoms and laboratory markers, including significant improvement in Raynaud’s symptoms and healing of digital ulceration after three to four weekly treatments. The beneficial effects from even a short course of therapeutic plasma exchange treatments were long-lasting, typically 6 months or longer. Therapeutic plasma exchange was very well tolerated. Adverse events were rare and, in almost all cases, mild and transitory.

Conclusion:

These results suggest that long-term therapeutic plasma exchange may offer a low-risk way to control and in some cases reverse systemic sclerosis symptoms. The mechanism for the clinical improvements seen from therapeutic plasma exchange in systemic sclerosis patients is unclear. Therefore, additional studies of therapeutic plasma exchange effects in systemic sclerosis appear to be highly desirable.

Therapeutic alternatives for chronic urticaria: an evidence-based review, Part 2

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the use of alternative therapies for chronic urticaria refractory to first-line treatments in an evidence-based manner.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE searches were performed cross-referencing urticaria with the names of multiple therapies. Articles were then reviewed for additional citations. Articles published after 1950 were considered.

STUDY SELECTION

All articles, including case reports, were reviewed for soundness and relevance.

RESULTS

Experience has been reported for a wide variety of alternative therapies in the treatment of chronic idiopathic and physical urticarias. Evidence for most agents is limited to anecdotal reports. The therapies reviewed are also categorized based on criteria of safety, efficacy, convenience, and cost. The less preferred alternative agents in the second part of this review are divided between third-line therapies and others that are unable to be firmly recommended or that seem promising but lack substantial evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

Third-line alternative agents should be considered in patients with chronic urticaria who are severely affected and unresponsive to antihistamines and second-line therapies. Although monitoring for toxicity is important in management with third-line agents, safety remains favorable for most agents compared with corticosteroids.

Therapeutic apheresis for myositises

The inflammatory myopathies, commonly described as idiopathic, are the largest group of acquired and potentially treatable myopathies. Dermatomyositis and polymyositis are generally responsive to immunosuppressive therapies, but could be refractory to them. Therapeutic plasma exchanges (TPE) have been used for three decades to treat autoimmune diseases. Their mechanism of action, which hinges on profound modulation of the immune system, is only partially understood. Despite the absence of supportive evidence provided by controlled trials, some observations suggest that TPE could have a role to play in the therapeutic strategy for refractory inflammatory myopathies, especially acute forms. TPE should probably be indicated preferentially for refractory and acute inflammatory myopathies, in combination with immunosuppression and/or anti-B-lymphocyte therapy.

Vancomycin removal during a plasma exchange transfusion

OBJECTIVE

To report a case of clinically significant removal of vancomycin during a plasma exchange transfusion in a patient with sickle-cell anemia.

CASE SUMMARY

A 46-year-old African American woman with sickle-cell disease was admitted on three separate occasions and treated with vancomycin. Vancomycin serum drug concentrations were obtained on all three admissions. During one of the admissions, a plasma exchange transfusion was performed the same day vancomycin concentrations were obtained. The vancomycin serum drug concentrations were considerably lower than predicted, resulting in potentially subtherapeutic vancomycin concentrations. Bayesian pharmacokinetic forecasting was used in interpreting the vancomycin concentrations.

DISCUSSION

Searches from MEDLINE (1966-September 2000) and Drugs and Pharmacology (1990-September 2000) were performed to obtain pertinent published literature.

CONCLUSIONS

Plasma exchange transfusions may result in clinically significant removal of vancomycin from the plasma. The potential exists of underdosing vancomycin in patients who are receiving frequent plasma exchange transfusions. Further research may be warranted to determine whether these patients may be candidates for more frequent and vigilant monitoring of vancomycin concentrations.

Therapeutic plasmapheresis

Plasmapheresis is the process by which plasma containing components causing or thought to cause disease is removed from the circulation, and the remaining blood components are returned with plasma or a harmless plasma substitute to the donor. It primarily removes protein-bound solutes or high-molecular-weight solutes such as circulating protein-bound toxins, autoantibodies, immune complexes, or other abnormally occurring molecules. Plasmapheresis has been used in the treatment of more than 100 diseases in human medicine, including immune-mediated diseases, neoplasia, infectious diseases, sepsis, hyperlipidemia, thyrotoxicosis, and removal of toxins. In immune-mediated disease, it is most useful to rapidly decrease plasma concentrations of antibodies or immune complexes, whereas other immunosuppressive measures are used to prolong the effect.

Plasma exchange in the therapy of Behçet's disease

Present therapies for Behçet's disease are unsatisfactory in many cases. We investigated the role of plasma exchange in four patients with severe Behçet's retinitis who were unresponsive to standard medical therapies. Plasma exchange induced a rapid reduction of ocular inflammation with improved visual acuity in all cases. In patients with severe Behçet's retinitis, plasma exchange is able to interrupt the acute inflammatory activity, but relapses may occur.