Complications of therapeutic plasma exchange in patients with neurological disorders

Background: Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is the treatment of choice for many neurologic disorders. The safety of this procedure is a major concern for physicians. The aim of this study was to determine the complications of TPE in patients with neurologic disorders at a tertiary referral hospital. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study evaluated patients with various neurologic disorders receiving TPE in neurology department of Shariati Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Major and minor complications related to TPE were recorded. Results: Clinical information records of 417 TPE sessions (88 patients) were available. Mean age of patients was 40.0 +/- 15.8 years. Underlying diseases included central demyelinating disorders, myasthenia gravis (MG), chronic neuropathy, Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), and autoimmune encephalopathy in 34.1%, 33.0%, 17.0%, 14.8%, and 1.1% of patients, respectively. Major complications occurred in 15.9% of patients and 37.5% of patients accounted for minor complications. Among major adverse effects, thrombosis, infection, and life-threatening complications were seen more commonly in patients with central vascular access (P = 0.005, P = 0.003, and P = 0.010, respectively). Conclusion: TPE complications were seen more commonly in patients with central vascular access. Therefore, use of peripheral vascular access and vigilant patient monitoring by trained health providers can reduce its complications.