Have you ever donated blood before? When you give blood normally, you usually donate your whole blood all at once. But did you know that your blood has many different parts, like red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets?
Doctors have a special medical method that lets them separate these parts from each other. They can even take out harmful parts that cause diseases. This amazing medical process is called apheresis, and some people also call it pheresis. Let us take a simple look at how this works for you.
Key Takeaways
- Apheresis is a special machine process that separates your blood into different parts.
- Doctors use it either to collect healthy blood parts for donation or to filter out harmful cells.
- It helps treat many conditions, including blood cancers and nerve problems.
- A trained medical team watches you closely the entire time to keep you safe.
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What Is Apheresis in Simple Terms
Think about squeezing coconut milk at home. After you squeeze it, you separate the thick cream from the thin milk liquid. Apheresis works in a very similar way for your blood.
During this process, a special machine called a centrifuge machine is used. The machine takes blood from your body and spins it around very fast to separate its different parts. Once the blood parts are separated, the machine takes out only the part you need.
For example, the machine can take out healthy platelets or harmful cells. Then, it sends the rest of your blood right back into your body. Doctors use this method mainly for two main reasons:
- Blood donation: To donate only one specific part of your blood, such as red blood cells, platelets, or plasma, to help another patient.
- Medical treatment: To remove unusual or bad blood parts from your body that are making you sick, such as harmful cancer cells.
Main Types of Apheresis
Doctors use different types of apheresis depending on your specific health needs. To understand these types clearly, please look at the table below.
| Type of Apheresis | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Leukapheresis | Removes too many bad white blood cells from your blood when they grow out of control. This helps reduce your symptoms quickly. |
| Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Collection | Collects young stem cells from your blood so you can use them later for a stem cell transplant. |
| Photopheresis | Takes out certain white blood cells called lymphocytes, exposes them to UVA light to boost their power, and puts them back into your body to fight cancer cells or viruses. |
| Plasmapheresis (Plasma Exchange) | Removes the liquid part of blood called plasma and replaces it with healthy plasma or another clean fluid. Doctors use this for many serious illnesses. |
| Platelet Depletion | Removes extra platelets from your blood when your body has too many of them, which helps prevent dangerous blood clots. |
| Red Blood Cell Exchange | Takes out unhealthy red blood cells, such as those affected by sickle cell disease, and replaces them with healthy red blood cells from a donor. |
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Essential home medical devices including blood pressure monitors, oximeters and digital thermometers.
Check Availability →What Conditions Does Apheresis Treat?
Apheresis is a very important tool for treating and managing many different health conditions. For instance, if you are receiving strong chemotherapy medicine for cancer, doctors can use this method to take out your healthy stem cells, keep them safe, and give them back to you after your cancer treatment ends.
Doctors mainly use this therapy for the health conditions listed below.
Blood Cancers
- Acute myeloid leukemia, which is a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
- Certain types of lymphoma, which are cancers that start in your lymph system.
- Multiple myeloma, a cancer of your plasma cells.
- Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, a rare type of slow-growing blood cancer.
Blood Disorders
- Sickle cell anemia, an inherited blood disorder that changes red blood cell shapes.
- Cryoglobulinemia, a condition where abnormal proteins in the blood block small blood vessels.
- Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a rare blood disorder that causes tiny blood clots.
Neurologic Disorders
- Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare nerve condition where your immune system attacks your nerves.
- Multiple sclerosis, a disease that affects your brain and spinal cord.
- Myasthenia gravis, a condition that causes muscle weakness.
In addition to these conditions, doctors also use apheresis to treat organ transplant rejection and graft-versus-host disease after an organ transplant.
How to Prepare for Your Apheresis Session
Because doctors use apheresis for many different reasons, your preparation steps will depend on your specific situation. The best thing you can do is follow your doctor's exact instructions carefully. Your doctor will tell you how long your treatment will take and what you need to do before you arrive.
For example, if you are donating stem cells, you may need to take medicine for a few days before your appointment. This medicine helps move stem cells out of your bone marrow and into your blood stream.
As a general rule, you should drink plenty of water and other healthy fluids starting a few days before your scheduled appointment.
What Happens During the Apheresis Procedure
Even though this process sounds big and complicated, the medical team performs it in a very organized way to keep you as comfortable as possible.
- First, the nurse will ask you to sit back in a comfortable chair or lie down on a bed.
- Next, the medical staff will place two tiny needles into veins in your arms. Each needle connects to a thin, flexible plastic tube called a catheter.
- Blood flows slowly out of one arm through a tube and goes into the special machine. The machine separates your blood cells inside.
- After the machine takes out the part it needs, it sends the rest of your blood right back into your body through the tube in your other arm.
While this whole process takes place, you can read a book, listen to music, or just rest peacefully. The medical team stays right beside you the entire time, so you do not need to feel afraid at all.
Possible Risks and Side Effects
Just like any other medical treatment, apheresis can sometimes cause minor risks or side effects. However, these problems happen very rarely. Also, your medical team monitors you closely throughout the entire treatment so they can fix any issues right away.
| Risk or Complication | What It Means in Simple Terms |
|---|---|
| Hypotension (Low Blood Pressure) | Because a small amount of blood leaves your body and anti-clotting fluids enter, your blood pressure might drop a little bit. You might feel a bit dizzy. |
| Hypocalcemia (Low Calcium) | Anti-clotting medicine can lower your body calcium levels for a short time. This might make your lips or fingers feel numb or tingly. |
| Bleeding | You might have a tiny bit of bleeding where the nurse put the needle into your skin. |
| Infection | There is a very small chance that germs could enter where the needle goes in and cause an infection. |
| Nerve Damage | In very rare cases, the needle can press on a nearby nerve, causing temporary numbness or muscle weakness. |
Remember that the chance of these things happening is very low. If you feel any discomfort, numbness, or dizziness during your session, tell the medical staff right away.
When to Call Your Doctor or Seek Emergency Care
When to Call Your Doctor or Get Emergency Help
After your apheresis session, you can usually return to your daily activities right away. Your doctor will explain what mild symptoms to expect at home.
Call your doctor right away or seek emergency medical care if you experience:
- Severe dizziness, fainting, or trouble breathing.
- Chest pain or a rapid, pounding heartbeat.
- Signs of an infection at the needle site, such as severe redness, swelling, or pus.
- Uncontrolled bleeding from your arm.
Emergency Contact: Call 911 (US/Canada) or 999 (UK) or go to your nearest Emergency Department (ER / A&E) right away if you have severe or life-threatening symptoms.
💡 Take-Home Message
- Apheresis is a special medical method used to separate different parts of your blood.
- It helps either by collecting healthy blood parts for donation or by removing harmful cells to treat diseases.
- This is a very safe procedure that trained medical experts perform under close supervision, so you do not need to feel afraid.
- Always follow your doctor's instructions carefully before and after your treatment session.
- If you feel any discomfort during or after your treatment, tell the medical staff or your doctor right away.
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