Description:
A process in which a machine removes blood stem cells or other parts of the blood from a person’s bloodstream then returns the rest to the body. During apheresis, blood flows through a catheter inserted into a large vein in a person’s arm or chest into a machine that separates and removes stem cells or other types of blood cells (such as platelets, white blood cells, or red blood cells), or plasma (the liquid part of the blood) from the blood. The rest of the blood is then returned to the body through the catheter. Apheresis may be done to collect blood stem cells before a stem cell transplant or to remove abnormal blood cells or proteins from the blood. It may be used to treat certain types of blood disorders, blood cancer, autoimmune disorders, or other conditions. Also called pheresis.
