Therapeutic apheresis is a method of removing substances from the blood. Kaneka is a leading company for LDL apheresis. The treatments are dedicated to patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and are intended to remove LDL, HDL and Triglycerides, thus reducing drug therapy.
Both cartridges are made of cellulose spheres to which are connected Dextran sulphate terminations, which adsorbs LDL HDL and triglycerides by electronegativity, preserving all the other substances in the blood.
The blood goes through a plasma filter which separates plasma and corpuscular parts by filtration, the plasma goes through the LA-15 cartridge, in which LDL HDL and Triglycerides are adsorbed and then removed from the plasma gets mixed with the corpuscular part to return to the patient. Each treatment uses two LA15s, thanks to a complex system of 8 clamps and sensors. When one cartridge is saturated, the plasma passes into the other while the first is being regenerated, when the second is saturated and the first regenerated they will be exchanged again, making the treatment potentially infinite.
The whole blood enters directly into the DL-50 or DL-75 or DL-100 cartridge (depending on the volume needed to be treated) in which adsorption takes place and is returned "clean to the patient".
For both treatments the recommended frequency is 1 treatment every 7/14 days, for a treated volume equal to 3,500 ml of plasma for LA15 and 7,000 ml of blood for DL 75.
There are two devices dedicated to these treatments:
MA03 on which both treatments can be performed and DX21 that can only be treat whole blood.
There are two devices dedicated to these treatments:
MA03 on which both treatments can be performed and DX21 that can only be treat whole blood.
