Physical assessment for patients receiving therapeutic plasma exchange.

As more nephrology programs include therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), nephrology nurses must be prepared to treat the variety of indications for which TPE is prescribed. The purpose of this article is to assist nephrology nurses as they incorporate TPE into their scope of practice. The article addresses a total body systems approach to the physical assessment that is completed for all patients. Following the total physical assessment, specific areas of assessment are discussed as they relate to clinical diseases or syndromes for which TPE is the treatment of choice.