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apheresis

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
apheresis (əfĕr`əsĭs), or hemapheresis (hē'məfĕr`əsĭs), any procedure in which blood blood, fluid pumped by the heart that circulates throughout the body via the arteries, veins, and capillaries (see circulatory system; heart). An adult male of average size normally has about 6 quarts (5.6 liters) of blood.
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 is drawn from a donor or patient and a component (platelets, plasma plasma, in physics, fully ionized gas of low density, containing approximately equal numbers of positive and negative ions (see electron and ion). It is electrically conductive and is affected by magnetic fields.
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, or white blood cells) is separated out, the remaining blood components being returned to the body. Apheresis allows the donor's blood volume to replenish itself much more quickly than whole blood donation. One type of apheresis, plasmapheresis, is commonly used in commercial blood banks. In plasmapheresis the plasma (the liquid portion of the blood) is separated from donated blood, the red blood cells being returned to the donor. In some diseases, such as myasthenia gravis myasthenia gravis , chronic disorder of the muscles characterized by weakness and a tendency to tire easily. It is caused by an autoimmune attack on the acetylcholine receptor of the post synaptic neuromuscular junction.
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, plasmapheresis is used to attempt to remove the disease-causing substances from the blood.


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Tokyo, Sept 25, 2009 - (JCN) - Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical will construct a new plant in Oita, Japan, for the manufacture of therapeutic apheresis devices.
The company says the product has the potential to decrease the number of apheresis days and provide transplant centers with predictable and efficient use of the apheresis center.
The Apheresis procedure produces an adult dose from a single donor in just 45 minutes - and the donor can give again in 14 days.
 
 
 
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