Why Partner with Vitalant for Clinical and Therapeutic Apheresis Services?
Vitalant’s experienced clinical and therapeutic apheresis team is available to assist clinical programs across the country with reliable, compassionate, and comprehensive apheresis nursing services. Our highly trained clinical and therapeutic apheresis nurses are supported by Vitalant’s Medical Director team, who are available to our partners for consultation on their patient’s apheresis needs.
Vitalant supports clinical programs in saving and transforming patient’s lives by offering:
- Apheresis expertise founded on evidence-based practices
- Medical Director oversight, consultation, guidance, and patient management
- Access to industry-recognized accredited apheresis services
- Support for clinical trials
- Research protocols and cellular therapy collections with active involvement.
- Standardized procedures under a single quality management system
- Scheduled, on-call, and emergent procedure coverage
- Services in the inpatient, outpatient, and Vitalant apheresis site setting
We’re There When and Where You Need Us
Like any true partnership, we’re there when you need us. That’s why we provide round-the-clock service to local hospitals for these comprehensive procedures:
- Plasma exchange
- Red cell exchange
- Platelet depletion
- White blood cell depletion
Other non-emergent procedures offered by Vitalant at various sites include:
- Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Collection (HPC-A))
- Mononuclear Cell Collection (MNC-A)
- LDL apheresis
- Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP)
Our Clinical and Therapeutic Apheresis Services nursing team is led by Clinical Nurse Directors, Apheresis Managers, and overseen by our team of Medical Directors. Our Medical Directors are available for technical and medical consultations, especially with emergent procedures.
Clinical & Therapeutic Procedures Offered
Below are several conditions treated using clinical/therapeutic apheresis. Please contact your physician or clinical care team for more information.
Procedure overview
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) removes disease-causing proteins or abnormal pathological antibodies from plasma. During TPE whole blood is processed, separated and plasma is exchanged with a protein solution (most commonly albumin). The patient’s removed plasma is discarded. Replacement solutions, along with the remaining components are returned to the patient.
What does the procedure treat?
- Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP)
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO)
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome
- Other rare diseases
Procedure overview
Red Blood Cell Exchange (RBCx) removes abnormal or infected (Malaria, Babesia) red blood cells that can no longer effectively carry oxygen throughout the body. During RBCx the patient’s red blood cells are separated from the other blood components and replaced with healthy red cells from volunteer blood donors.
What does the procedure treat?
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Malaria, severe
- Babesiosis, severe
- Polycythemia Vera
- Red cell alloimunization prevention after exposure to Rh D+ RBC in women of childbearing age
Procedure overview
White Blood Cell Reduction (WBCr) is performed when a patient has an abnormally high white blood cell count. During the procedure the patient’s WBCs are removed and discarded and the remaining components and replacement solutions are returned to the patient.
What does the procedure treat?
- Hyperleukocytosis associated with certain types of leukemia
Procedure overview
Platelet Reduction (PLTr) is performed when a patient has an abnormally high platelet count. During the procedure the patient’s PLTs are removed and discarded and the remaining components and replacement solutions are returned to the patient.
What does the procedure treat?
- Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia with high platelet count
- Essential Thrombocytosis
- Disorders leading to increased platelet counts in symptomatic patients
Procedure overview
Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP) separates a patient’s white blood cells (WBCs) (leukocytes) from the other blood components. The white blood cells are treated with a medication called 8-methoxypsoralen and exposed to ultraviolet light. The treated WBCs are then returned to the patient.
What does the procedure treat?
- Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma; mycosis fungoides; Sezary Syndrome
- Graft versus Host Disease (GVHD)
- Solid Organ Transplant Rejection, cellular
Procedure overview
Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Apheresis separates a patient’s plasma from the other blood components. Specialized filters then remove LDL (bad) cholesterol from the plasma and the filtered blood is returned to the patient.
What does the procedure treat?
- Familial Hypercholesterolemia
- LDL cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dl or higher with a history or coronary artery disease
- LDL cholesterol levels of 300 mg/dl or higher without coronary artery disease
- Focal segmental glomerularsclerosis (FSGS), recurrent in kidney transplant
Procedure overview
Red Blood Cell Reduction by Phlebotomy removes Red Blood Cells (RBCs) from a patient to decrease the RBC count and/or decrease iron overload in hyper-transfused states.
What does the procedure treat?
- Hemochromatosis
- Polycythemia Vera
- Secondary Polycythemia
Mononuclear cells (MNC) provide the starting material for a number of established and experimental cellular therapies, including enrichment and expansion, regenerative medicine, and immunization.
Procedure overview
Mononuclear Cell (MNC) Collection separates a donor or patient’s white blood cells (WBCs) from the other blood components. The MNCs are collected into a bag and the remaining blood components are returned to the donor or patient.
The collected MNCs may be used as cellular starting material for advanced therapies to treat such conditions as leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, solid tumors, hematological diseases, and other emerging indications.
Procedure overview
Hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) collections separate a donor or patient’s HPCs from other blood components.
The collected HPCs many be used for stem cell transplant or as cellular starting material for advanced therapies to treat such conditions as leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, solid tumors, hematological diseases, and other emerging indications.
Lipid Absorption Column Testing
Vitalant in Pittsburgh is the only area clinic capable of supporting cardiology specialties with lipid absorption column testing. LDL apheresis is performed in the Therapeutic Hemapheresis outpatient department along with:
- Transfusions of blood products
- Infusions of medications
- Therapeutic phlebotomies
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Mike, Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP) patient.