How to Use Cholesterol Apheresis to Treat Cholesterol

The first step in lowering dangerously high cholesterol levels is to change your lifestyle to include a healthy diet and regular exercise. If that does not work, you can use medication to treat your high cholesterol. In rare cases, a person's body will not respond to these treatments. Cholesterol apheresis, also called LDL apheresis, is a last-resort option. Doctors use a technique similar to kidney dialysis to remove LDL from the blood.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hospital
• Apheresis machine
• Comfortable clothing
• Book or other entertainment
• Doctor
• Large blocks of free time
• Sterile swabbing
• Catheter

Use Cholesterol Apheresis to Treat Cholesterol

1. Find a doctor who has experience with cholesterol apheresis as a treatment option for high cholesterol. Discuss the ways you have tried to treat your cholesterol up to now. This will help him decide if you are a good candidate for the procedure.

2. Prepare to travel to another city or state, if necessary, for your apheresis treatments. There are only a handful of hospitals that have the equipment and skilled personnel to perform this procedure.

3. Arrive at the hospital on time, wearing comfortable clothing. Treatments take 2 to 4 hours and you will be largely immobilized for most of that time.

4. Bring a book or other form of entertainment with you to pass the time while your blood is filtering. Some electronic toys such as MP3 players or handheld games may interfere with hospital equipment so be sure to ask whether you are allowed to use them.

5. Make yourself comfortable on the bed or chair you are given. The technician will swab your arm and insert a catheter from which he will draw your blood.

6. Wait for the transfusion process to complete. Your blood is separated by the apheresis machine into blood cells (both red and white) and plasma. LDL is taken out of the plasma and then all the blood products are returned to your body.

7. Schedule a return appointment for the next treatment. Cholesterol apheresis must be done every 2 to 3 weeks in order to be effective.

8. Continue with the lifestyle changes you have made in an attempt to lower your cholesterol. Eat right and exercise several times a week.

Tips & Warnings

• LDL apheresis is usually performed on people whose cholesterol levels, even after using medications, are higher than 300 mg/dl. If you have a history of heart disease, you may qualify for the procedure if your levels are around 200 mg/dl even while taking cholesterol-lowering medicine.

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