McAllen Medical Center is the only hospital in the Rio Grande Valley offering plasmapheresis, an innovative therapy that can help some kidney transplant patients and people battling certain autoimmune diseases.
During plasmapheresis, a patient's blood passes through a device that separates plasma from blood cells. The blood cells and replacement fluids then are returned to patients.
"The process makes a tremendous difference for people waiting for kidney transplants," says Robert Tamez, Assistant Administrator at McAllen Medical Center. "It helps remove antibodies that can cause transplant recipients to reject organs from donors with incompatible blood types. Once we remove the antibodies, we're often able to transplant organs into patients who normally wouldn't be considered good matches."
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