Complications of therapeutic apheresis in children.

UNLABELLED: Since the equipment of therapeutic apheresis is prepared for adults, the use of it in children may lead to higher complication risks and there are little data in children undergoing therapeutic apheresis. METHODS: In this study the complications experienced during therapeutic apheresis in children between April 2010 and May 2012 at our center are analyzed retrospectively. There were 14 patients who had undergone a total of 50 sessions of therapeutic apheresis. The ages of patients' ages ranged from 20months to 16years. The procedures were plasma exchange and leukodepletion. RESULTS: Complications were observed in four patients. One of them was vascular access complication because of insufficient flow. Urticeria was observed in two patients. Abdominal pain and chilling were other complications. Our patients, who underwent TA, did not experience major complications. Minimal or mild allergic reactions were observed and treated by medications. For extracorporeal volume erythrocyte prime is useful. TA will be performed more successfully with correct planning and close examination of the patient with an experienced team.