Topic Teaching: American Society for Apheresis Guidelines and Clinical Decision Making

Presented by:

Jeffrey L. Winters, M.D.
Vice-chair, Division of Transfusion Medicine
Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Director, Therapeutic Apheresis Unit | Director, Transfusion Medicine Fellowship Program
HCT/P Program Director
Division of Transfusion Medicine | Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology

Objectives:

1.    Describe the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) guidelines.
2.    Define the ASFA categories.
3.    Apply the ASFA categories to determine an appropriate apheresis therapy plan.
4.    Generate a therapy plan for requests for apheresis treatments in uncategorized indications.

References:

1.    Shehata N, Kouroukis C, Kelton JG. A review of randomized controlled trials using therapeutic apheresis. Transfus Med Rev 2002;16:200-229.
2.    Winters JL. Randomized controlled trials in therapeutic apheresis. J Clin Apheresis 2013;28:48-55.
3.    Padmanabhan A, et al. Guidelines on the use of therapeutic apheresis in clinical practice—evidence-based approach from the writing committee of the American Society for Apheresis. The Eighth Special Issue J Clin Apheresis 2019;34:171354.
4.    Shaz BH, Winters JL, Bandarenko N, Szczepiorkowski ZM. How we approach an apheresis request for category III, category IV, or non-categorized indication.  Transfusion 2007;47:1963-1971.
5.    Jaben EA, Pulido JS, Pittock S, Markovic SN, Winters JL. The potential role of plasma exchange as a treatment for bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation: A report of two cases. J Clin Apheresis 2011;26:356-361.
6.    Miles SL, Niles RM, Pittock S, Gilles E, Vile R, Davies J, Winters JL, Abuyaghi N, Grothey A, Siddiqui M, Kaur J, Hartmann L, Kalli K, Pease L, Kravitz D, Markovic S, Pulido JS. A factor found in the IgG fraction of serum of patients with paraneoplastic bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation causes proliferation of cultured human melanocytes. Retina 2012;32:1959-1966.
7.    Mets RB, Golchet P, Adamus G, Anitori R, Wilson D, Shaw J, Jampol LM. Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation with a positive ophthalmoscopic and visual response to plasmapheresis. Arch Ophthalmol 2011;129:1235-1238.

Note: The session is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

To register for the LearnTransfusion series, send an email to learn.transfusion@blood.ca with  “Weekly Transfusion Medicine Seminars” in the subject line. Include your name and complete e-mail address in the body of the e-mail, and confirm that you would like to register for the LearnTransfusion series. You will then receive weekly email notifications of upcoming series events with details on how to join the webinars (e.g., call-in number and a link to register for the webinar).

The LearnTransfusion series is the seminar component of the Areas of Focused Competency (AFC)-Diploma Program in Transfusion Medicine. The series, organized by Canadian Blood Services is also open to all practitioners in the field of Transfusion Medicine. Through a series of regular webinars, trainees and practitioners are exposed to various scientific, technical and clinical aspects of transfusion medicine.