You know why and how apheresis is used for human patients. But did you know it’s also used for pets? It’s true. In fact, apheresis is just one of many modalities we associate with human patients that are also used to help our dogs and cats, according to information from the University of California, Davis. These include acute and chronic hemodialysis, hemoperfusion, and the one we’re reviewing today — therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE).¹

The benefits of TPE for pets can be dramatic

Whether with people or pets, TPE is a form of therapeutic apheresis that removes plasma containing antibodies, immune complexes, toxins, certain drugs, or inflammatory disease mediators. The plasma is then replaced with healthy donor plasma.

A major benefit of TPE is that it has the potential to rapidly control the disease process, sometimes working within days. This allows time for conventional medical therapy to provide more sustained control. For our furry friends, the response can be dramatic and lifesaving. For example, in a recent case review, TPE improved the survival of dogs that presented with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) from 48% to 92% compared to medical management alone.¹

Veterinary indications for TPE are expanding

There is a rapidly growing list of veterinary indications for TPE, including various neuromuscular, hematologic, metabolic, and kidney diseases. The most common indication in veterinary medicine is as an adjunctive therapy for dogs with IMHA.² The therapy is particularly useful in cases where the dog is responding poorly to immunosuppressive therapy, immunosuppressive therapy is contraindicated, or the rate of hemolysis and requirement for additional blood transfusions is high.²

The procedure has also been used for snake envenomation and drug overdoses (such as from the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ibuprofen, meloxicam, and carprofen).^1,2 See Figure 1 for more details.

Figure 1. Diseases with current veterinary experience using therapeutic plasma exchange¹

An emerging standard of care

TPE is still relatively new in veterinary care, with limited availability across the country. But it is starting to be recognized as an advanced standard of care to help provide quick control, or even a cure, for certain acute, life-threatening conditions in animals. You can learn more about veterinary TPE in this issue’s Customer Spotlight, where Larry Cowgill, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Internal Medicine), shares some of his personal experiences with the procedure.

1. University of California Veterinary Medical Center, San Diego. Clinical activities and procedures. Accessed 11 November 2024. 
 https://ucvmcsd.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/services/clinical-activities-and-procedures.


2. Royal Veterinary College, University of London. Information sheet for vets: Therapeutic plasma exchange. Accessed 11 November 2024. 
 https://www.rvc.ac.uk/small-animal-vet/teaching-and-research/fact-files/therapeutic-plasma-exchange-vets-info.   

The Spectra Optia^TM Apheresis System is not approved for use in animals. For detailed information on its indications for use and intended patient population, please refer to the Spectra Optia Operator's Manual.

Spectra Optia^TM is either a registered trademark or trademark of Terumo BCT, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. See TerumoBCT.com/Trademarks for details.