Abstract: Objective To explore clinical therapeutic effect and program of plasmapheresis in the treatment of critical diseases in children. Methods We retrospectively studied the effectiveness of plasmapheresis in 15 patients (22 months to 15 years old, mean 6.8 years) with severe and critical diseases. Plasmapheresis was performed by the PRISMA machine and the TPE2000 membrane plasma separator using freshly frozen plasma as the exchanger. The average total exchange volume was 40-70ml/kg, achieved a blood flow rate of 50-120ml/min over the duration of 2-3 hours. Results We successfully carried out 39 times of plasmapheresis for 15 severe and critical children without any apparent complications. After plasmapheresis, clinical status and biochemistry parameters improved in 14 children, and full recovery gained in 5 cases. Conclusion Plasmapheresis appears to be safe and effective for the treatment of severe and critical diseases in children.

Key words: Children