Ghodrat A Siami
Vanderbilt School of Medicine, USA
: J Kidney
Introduction: Combination therapy is for dialysis patients requiring another extracorporeal therapy such as plasmapheresis. Purpose: Purpose of study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of both procedures. Methods: We performed Cryofiltration Apheresis which I created 30 years ago, to treat patients with cryoglobulinemia to remove cryoglobulin from blood, LDL- Pheresis for dialysis patients with cardiovascular and coronary artery diseases which can be done by 8 different methods; Immunoadsorptiom to remove immune complex; and dialysis patients may need Plasma Purification and Whole Blood Purification for toxicology. We have developed procedures to do combination therapy safely and effectively. Result: Show all above procedures are safe and effective. Hemodialysis takes 4 hours and Apheresis 3.5 hours if they perform separately with total of 7.5 hours. But the Combination Therapy, if done together takes only 4 hours. Conclusions: Both procedures take only 4 hours not 7.5 hours, Patients and Dialysis Nurse does not need to be on the machine/ working almost all day. This will be less tiring and more acceptable for Patients and Nurses. The cost will be lower compared to doing them separately.
Ghodrat Siami is MD, PhD, Fellow of American College of Physician, and Fellow of American Society of Nephrology, Professor of Medicine and Nephrology at Vanderbilt School of Medicine and was promoted to Professor Emeritus. He served as the President of International Society for Apheresis, and Vice President of Word Apheresis Association. He published more than 100 original papers, book chapters, editorials and abstracts. He presented his original works in more than 160 national and international scientific meetings. He is on the Editorial Board of several journals and Reviewer for FDA. He is a winner of several professional awards including 50 Years’ Service Award from AMA. He chaired the celebration of 100 years of Plasmapheresis in St. Petersburg, Russia. He is still an invited Keynote Speaker around the world.
