plasmapheresis

American  

[plaz-muh-fuh-ree-sis] / ˌplæz mə fəˈri sɪs /

noun

Medicine/Medical.

1. a type of apheresis in which blood cells are returned to the bloodstream of the donor and the plasma is used, as for tranfusion.

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plasmapheresis British  

/ ˌplæzməˈfɛrəsəs /

noun

1. (in blood transfusion) a technique for removing healthy or infected plasma by separating it from the red blood cells by settling or using a centrifuge and retransfusing the red blood cells into the donor or patient

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Etymology

Origin of plasmapheresis

First recorded in 1915–20; plasm- + apheresis

Compare meaning

How does plasmapheresis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• apheresis vs. plasmapheresis

Example Sentences

When traditional treatments don’t work, plasmapheresis, which removes or exchanges blood plasma from the body, can also be an option.

From National Geographic • Oct. 3, 2023

Those studies confirmed that plasmapheresis changed the amount of amyloid-β in both plasma and the cerebrospinal fluid.

From Nature • Sep. 26, 2017

Thanks to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other donors, expensive plasmapheresis machines to separate plasma from blood were sent to all three Ebola-affected countries for use in clinical studies.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 31, 2015

The bus houses a mobile laboratory and a hefty piece of equipment that is the Cadillac of plasmapheresis, a process that separates the yellowish plasma from the rest of the blood.

From Washington Post • Feb. 9, 2015

Using a blood-filtering technique known as plasmapheresis, doctors can now lower the odds that a recipient will reject an incompatible kidney.

From New York Times • Feb. 19, 2012