Extracorporeal photopheresis offline modality is an effective cell therapy that allows treating the rejection of different transplants and diseases of the autoimmune system. The Hospital, a reference in the use of this practice in the region, presented its experience at a conference in the United States.
Garrahan Hospital, through the Transfusion Medicine service, is the only pediatric public health center in South America that performs extracorporeal photopheresis offline. This procedure is done through a photoilluminator and minimizes the risk of infectious complications and hospitalization in girls, boys and adolescents with pathologies that usually require medication that affects the defenses, such as bone marrow transplant recipients with graft versus host disease (GVHD). ).
“It is essential to be able to develop new technologies and applications in the public hospital to be able to provide our patients with the necessary care following the highest quality standards,” highlighted the head of the Transfusion Medicine service, Ana María Pugliese.
This therapy works as a modulator of the immune response. It allows working with white blood cells extracted from the patient to treat them externally to the body with a substance sensitive to ultraviolet light, prior to being infused. The great advantage is its action on the immune system without reducing the ability to respond to infections, also presenting very good clinical tolerance and favoring the suspension or reduction of immunosuppressive medication.
“In Garrahan, the process of incorporating this technology began in 2015, evaluating costs and benefits. Finally, in 2019 the Hospital incorporated the team. It is a safe procedure that can be performed on small patients considering the skills and competencies of the treating medical and technical team,” Pugliese said.
Garrahan’s experience was presented during the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Apheresis Society in Las Vegas, United States, in April of this year. During the presentation at the congress, the specialist doctor of the service, Fernando Zamora, presented two posters, a common form of medical communication at these events.
The uniqueness that characterizes the Hospital is the application to girls and boys of young age and low weight: of the 425 procedures performed on 16 patients, 10 weighed less than 25 kilos and 2, less than 10. “This makes the Garrahan a center reference in extracorporeal photopheresis in pediatrics throughout the region and allows us to provide this service safely, improving the quality of life of patients,” added Pugliese.
“The diseases changed over time. Many pathologies became chronic and an increasing prevalence of autoimmune diseases is observed. There is also greater awareness of organ and tissue donation, favoring an increase in transplants. This scenario is conducive to a greater need for this treatment modality in the near future,” the professional explained.
According to the opinion of specialists, work is currently underway at the institution to extend the use of offline extracorporeal photopheresis in patients with organ transplant rejection – heart, lung, liver and kidney – as well as in patients with various autoimmune diseases refractory to treatment. initial treatment.
