Lowering the Cost / Improving Access for Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (Plasmapheresis)

If I were going for this sort of therapy I would really try to find a way of getting artificial plasma where you know what is in it.

Even if the issue is not IL-10 there is so much evidence that the problem is something in older blood rather than there being something in younger blood that is rejuvenating. Hence you need to start with water as add in various substances until you get usable quality plasma.

It remains I think there are better ways of dealing with senescence, but I can see this has some merit.

How serious are individuals here interested in starting a skunk works?

The problem with this is that people may not agree as to exactly what to do. Personally I think there are better approaches than acting on the plasma although I can see the arguments for so doing.

Thinking again what I am doing is changing the plasma, but through the digestive system rather than using needles.

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Absolutely… it seems like the low hanging fruit might be regular, home-based TPE / plasmapheresis with 5% Albumin and a used equipment. I know you are concerned about blood products Joseph, does that include even 5% albumin? My understanding is that its highly processed and tested by Grifols and others in the industry.

Pretend

You have an apheresis unit.

Now what?

Ok, an action plan might look something like this I suppose.

Purchases to be made/arranged:

  1. Aphoresis equipment (cheap, from auction , used equipment vendor). Perhaps the cost could be split between a few people / friends in a given geographic area, and the equipment shared).
  2. Validation process to make sure equipment is operating within spec. (perhaps identify local experts in the equipment to have them test and evaluate equipment purchased, prior to use)
  3. Identify a complete and detailed “bill of materials” for all the specific consumables (specific to the apheresis device being used) needed for each plasmapheresis session (tubes, needles, filters, etc.).
  4. Get prescription for albumin 5%, and other necessary add-ins to plasmapheresis (e.g. intravenous replacement of calcium and magnesium, etc.).

Learning / Expertise to be gained (or hired):

  1. Study plasmapheresis protocols, techniques and guidelines… and create new home protocols for biohackers
    e.g. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560566/
    and: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1895577-technique
    here: https://www.transfusionguidelines.org/transfusion-handbook/11-therapeutic-apheresis/11-1-therapeutic-plasma-exchange-tpe
  2. Identify and de-risk (plan activities to mitigate or obviate known risks and contraindications, and complications).
  3. Learn venepuncture processes and procedures (are there classes/courses we can take at local medical schools for something like this?)
  4. Identify local experts that can be hired for initial home processes.

Perhaps one of our community members who speaks russian can contact this group of similarly-minded Russian biohackers who have done all this before, and get their protocols and suggestions for home applications…

And, for details see earlier posting this thread: Irina Conboy Plasmapheresis Webinar - #41 by RapAdmin

Practice in low-risk models?

  1. Can we practice with model organisms… e.g. rats or ? How do nurses learn the plasmapheresis protocols and practice them prior to use?

… Other ideas and suggestions (or is everyone thinking this is a little too ambitious a project :wink:

Note - found this interesting slideshow overview on plasmapheresis:

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No, not too ambitious!

Who else is interested?

Other than RapAdmin and myself?

One of their advisors, Leonid Peshkin, PhD, is a Harvard Medical school professor.
https://rle4.life/

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The easiest way, imho, to do it is donate plasma in a lab, then come home and inject yourself with the same amount of saline + 5% albumin using just a 4-leg IV stand to hold saline bags. Medline 4 Leg IV Poles Stand, 2 Hook, 4 Caster, Chrome, 47 to 85" Adjustable Height https://a.co/d/3aDjsZ6

It’s an easy way to do it at home. The only thing to learn is how to use catheter on your vein (and the basics of asepsis/antisepsis).

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When you donate plasma request/insisted a catheter be used and leave in place{or do not donate, your negotiation stance] flush with heparin flush. When you get home re-infuse/infuse your solution, connect to the catheter.

You can remove cather, or leave in a few days{as long as you flush once per 24 hours with heparin flush.

You can infuse other supplements for a few days and not have to be re-stuck.

Why are you thinking saline?

Saline my increase blood pressure in some people.

Online brain storming.

We have reduced the cost to less than $500.00 per treatment.

Some people/clinics are not/do not like this type of thinking, as it effects there bottom line.

When do we start?

Shamelessly…

“If you wait until you are ready, it is almost certainly too late.”
~ Seth Godin

I am not the waiting type.

Do you mean saline vs plasma? It’s more neutral and the point is to dilute, not to receive more plasma. I would use Ringer’s saline. Plasma will restore naturally after donation in couple days.

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I would use. Lactated Ringers with added compounds a mix.

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I had never heard of this before, so looked it up:

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For simplicity, I wouldn’t keep the same catheter. Amateurs could easily contaminate it.

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Lactated Ringers is a standard IV solution.

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IV Fluids and Solutions Guide & Cheat Sheet

  • 0.9% NaCl (Normal Saline Solution, NSS)
  • Dextrose 5% in Water (D5W)
  • Lactated Ringer’s 5% Dextrose in Water (D5LRS)
  • Ringer’s Solution.
  • Nursing Considerations for Isotonic IV Solutions.
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We have a skunk works, being created right before your eyes!

There’s even an easier way to do it:

  1. Donate plasma.
  2. Schedule to get a vitamins/NAD cocktail on the same day (in a different place)
  3. Ask if they could add some albumin to their cocktail :blush: ( bring your own albumin)

The beauty of it is that you don’t need to have any equipment at home and you don’t have to learn how to poke your vein.

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Appreciate the math. In my case, as a 175 pound male, they took about 890ml of plasma per donation, which I estimated to be 29% of my total plasma. I even tried donating Monday evening and Wednesday morning to shorten the window between donations. One way around the 5 day window is to try to do it at 2 different companies without telling them. However, they do visual arm checks for bruising and if discovered you will be permanently banned. You would also need to live in an urban area that had 2 providers.

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