What is the difference between therapeutic apheresis and dialysis?
When performing therapeutic apheresis, blood is separated by means of a centrifuge and “blood components” such as plasma, platelets, white cells or red cells are removed or replaced. When performing dialysis, blood is removed in a similar process like pheresis, however the blood is “filtered” to remove toxins that a weak/diseased kidney can no longer remove. The filtering process is accomplished by a dialyzer. In summary, a pheresis procedure removes a blood component whereas with dialysis the blood is filtered by an artificial kidney dialyzer. Both are ordered for very different purposes and outcomes.
