Therapeutic apheresis in the elderly: an update.

Therapeutic apheresis medicine comprises many procedures, the most common being therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). There is wide acceptance and use of TPE in the treatment of disease conditions that cut across several organ systems in the body and affect patients of various age groups. Patients that are 65 years or older form a significant cohort with increasing need for TPE. This brief report addresses special considerations in this cohort with useful comparisons made with younger cohorts as presented in the Therapeutic Apheresis Academy at the University of Virginia in September 2012.