Extracorporeal Therapies

Hemodialysis

The hemodialysis machine acts as an artificial kidney to process blood and remove toxins and excess water. Hemodialysis may be recommended for many diseases including treatment of acute kidney injury, toxin ingestion, or prior to surgical treatment for kidney disease.

Hemodialysis and Kidneys

• Hemodialysis helps remove the wastes and toxins that build up in the body when the kidneys are unable to do their job.
• Hemodialysis does not treat an injury to the kidney.
• Hemodialysis helps patients to feel better while the kidneys rest and recover.

We will recommend additional treatments during hospitalization to treat the underlying kidney disease. These treatments will vary, but will include nutritional management, pain management, and disease specific recommendations.

Hemoperfusion and plasma adsorption

Using a specialized filter, this treatment removes substances from the blood or plasma such as toxins, cytokines and pathogens. It can be provided alone or in combination with hemodialysis or therapeutic plasma exchange.

Therapeutic Plasma Exchange

Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) utilizes a machine that separates blood into red blood cells and plasma. TPE may be recommended for specific intoxications or to treat immune mediated diseases. During the treatment, the plasma containing toxins or antibodies is removed and replaced with fresh plasma.

Treatments

The exact number of treatments required depend on the cause and severity of the underlying disease. For many intoxications, only a single treatment is necessary. These patients may even be able to go home the next day. In patients with acute kidney injury or immune mediated disease, multiple treatments are necessary over a period of days. During this time, animals stay with us in the hospital and additional therapies will be initiated to help treat the underlying disease. At the time of consultation, we will make a recommendation for the initial number of treatments to expect for your pet.

What Happens During a Treatment

Treatments are not painful and do not require anesthesia. Prior to the first treatment, a large catheter will be placed. This will require sedation or, in some cases, a short anesthesia. During the treatment, we provide a soft and warm bed. We keep the lights turned down in the room to make therapy as relaxing as possible. Many animals even take a nap during their treatment. We monitor heart rate, breathing rate, and temperature regularly. Each treatment lasts between 3-6 hours. Over time, our patients begin to associate the dialysis room with feeling better and look forward to coming in to see us!

Ultrafiltration

The purpose of ultrafiltration is to remove excess fluid from the body that may accumulate due to kidney injury or from congestive heart failure resulting in fluid overload.

Cell Collection Therapy

This procedure utilizes a machine in which the blood is separated into its major components red blood cells, platelets, white blood cells and plasma. We can then collect specific cells such as lymphocytes and granulocytes that may be used in immunotherapy treatments for patients with cancer or other autoimmune diseases.

Costs

Costs vary, depending on the reason for treatment and duration of therapy. We will give you an estimate of the cost of care during the initial consultation. If you think your pet could benefit from Extracorporeal therapy, have your vet contact us at pennvet.ect@vet.upenn.edu or call our Emergency Service. We will work together to create a plan for your pet’s care and possible referral.