What is plasmapheresis (PP)?
Plasmapheresis is a medical procedure done at an outpatient center or hospital and usually takes three to four hours to complete. A small, thin tube (catheter) is placed in a large vein, usually the one in the crook of the arm, and another tube is placed in the opposite hand or foot. Some of the fluid in the blood (known as plasma) is removed and replaced with plasma with neutral proteins. This procedure is thought to remove inflammatory substances in the blood that may be causing or contributing to the MS attack, however, the exact mechanism of PP is unknown.
