plasmapheresis
|plas-ma-pher-e-sis|
/ˌplæz.məfəˈriːsɪs/
removal/exchange of blood plasma
Etymology
'plasmapheresis' originates from Modern Latin/Neo-Latin and Greek, specifically the element 'plasma' from Greek 'plasma' meaning 'something molded or formed' and the element '-pheresis' from Greek 'pherein' meaning 'to carry'.
'plasmapheresis' was formed in the 20th century as a medical compound of 'plasma' + the combining form '-pheresis' (from Greek 'apheresis' meaning 'a taking away'), and it entered modern medical English as the term for removal or exchange of plasma.
Initially it literally meant 'the carrying away (removal) of plasma,' and over time it has retained that specific medical meaning referring to the procedure of removing or exchanging plasma.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a medical procedure in which plasma is separated from a patient's blood and removed, filtered, or replaced; used to treat certain autoimmune and blood disorders.
The patient underwent plasmapheresis to reduce the level of harmful autoantibodies.
Synonyms
Noun 2
the collection of plasma from donors for use as a therapeutic product or for fractionation into plasma-derived medicinal products.
Commercial plasmapheresis centers collect plasma donations for the manufacture of immunoglobulin products.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/04 14:37