Serum preserve as a replacement fluid for plasma exchange therapy

Abstract

A considerable number of exchange fluids have been used for plasma exchange therapy. As they all have drawbacks, either 5% albumin and plasma protein fraction (PPF) or, less frequently, fresh frozen plasma (FFP) are generally used. Under critical conditions, appropriate mixtures of fluids specific for the patient, his disease, and his current condition, may be applied.

Albumin or PPF are generally well tolerated; however, the lack of coagulation factors and immunoglobulins may limit their application. In contrast, FFP replaces virtually all plasma proteins, but is characterized by essential drawbacks, e.g., colerability, ability to transfer virus-mediated diseases, and sometimes, limited availability.

Serum preserve may be an alternative for FFP, as it replaces all plasma proteins except for some coagulation factors, is a standardized product, is virus free, and is easily available commercially. As we used serum preserve occasionally as eplacement fluid and found that it was vell tolerated, we became interested in inrestigating it on a more systematic basis. We compared 5% albumin, 5% serum preserve, and 7.5% serum preserve as replacement fluids after extended plasma donations in the same subjects.