Efficiency and efficacy of LDL-apheresis performed at different intervals

Five heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia patients have been treated with LDL-apheresis for a period of three months. The apheretic procedure was repeated four times at both biweekly and weekly intervals. A dextran-sulfate cellulose regenerating unit was used, processing one plasma volume at each time. The efficiency of the apheretic procedure was similar at both weekly and biweekly intervals, removing 60–70% of total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and apo B. Weekly treatment was however more effective in lowering plasma lipid-lipoprotein levels: pre-apheresis TC, LDL-C and apo B levels were, in fact, 23–25% higher during the biweekly treatment.