Major complications of plasma exchange treatment for TTP or HUS: experience of the Oklahoma TTP-HUS Registry with 249 consecutive patients treated for a diagnosis of TTP or HUS (1996-2008)
| Complication . | No. (%) . | Comments (no. of patients) . |
|---|---|---|
| Death | 7 (3) | Bacterial sepsis (n = 4); hemorrhage from catheter insertion (n = 3) |
| Nonfatal cardiac arrest | 2 (1) | Right ventricle perforation by catheter insertion guide wire with cardiac tamponade (n = 1); plasma allergic reaction (n = 1) |
| Catheter insertion complications | 5 (2) | Pulmonary (n = 2) and retroperitoneal (n = 1) hemorrhage requiring transfusion; pneumothorax requiring chest tube (n = 2) |
| Systemic infection | 29 (12) | Documented bacteremia (n = 24) or fungemia (n = 2); suspected bacteremia treated with systemic antibiotics (n = 3) |
| Catheter obstruction | 17 (7) | Requiring catheter removal and insertion of a new catheter |
| Hypotension | 7 (3) | Requiring vasopressor treatment |
| Venous thrombosis | 5 (2) | Requiring anticoagulant treatment |
| Complication . | No. (%) . | Comments (no. of patients) . |
|---|---|---|
| Death | 7 (3) | Bacterial sepsis (n = 4); hemorrhage from catheter insertion (n = 3) |
| Nonfatal cardiac arrest | 2 (1) | Right ventricle perforation by catheter insertion guide wire with cardiac tamponade (n = 1); plasma allergic reaction (n = 1) |
| Catheter insertion complications | 5 (2) | Pulmonary (n = 2) and retroperitoneal (n = 1) hemorrhage requiring transfusion; pneumothorax requiring chest tube (n = 2) |
| Systemic infection | 29 (12) | Documented bacteremia (n = 24) or fungemia (n = 2); suspected bacteremia treated with systemic antibiotics (n = 3) |
| Catheter obstruction | 17 (7) | Requiring catheter removal and insertion of a new catheter |
| Hypotension | 7 (3) | Requiring vasopressor treatment |
| Venous thrombosis | 5 (2) | Requiring anticoagulant treatment |
Data adapted from Rizvi et al,47 McMinn et al,48 Howard et al,49 and Nguyen et al.50