A review of the effects of plasmapheresis on drug clearance.

Plasmapheresis (PP) is being increasingly performed to treat a number of infectious, immunologic, metabolic, and inherited illnesses. In this procedure, plasma and cellular components of blood are separated, and all solutes in plasma, including drugs, can be removed. The effects of PP on the pharmacokinetics of drugs administered therapeutically and taken in overdose are evolving. As the procedure becomes more widely performed, it is important that these effects be understood.