RheoTherapy blood filtration
We have a few docs here really excited about this potential treatment:
"FDA Study for Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration: There are twelve investigational sites in the United States enrolling 180 patients; 20-30 will be enrolled at Carolina Eye Associates. RHEO blood filtration is a new, experimental treatment for previously untreatable dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Volunteers Needed: Volunteers in good general health between the ages of 50 and 85 who have some vision loss due to dry age-related macular degeneration are invited to participate. Across the nation, 180 patients will be randomized into 2 groups; 120 in the treatment group; and 60 in the placebo control group. Patients will receive 8 treatments (actual or placebo) and the results between the groups will be compared after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of follow-up.
Initial Study Results - Initial results from other such studies show great promise. In a recent 30 patient FDA study at the University of Utah, the results suggest that certain patients with Dry AMD experienced improvement in their vision when they received apheresis treatments using an investigational blood filtration procedure. In addition, a 40 patient European study recently concluded that Rheopheresis safely and effectively improved vision in some AMD patients. No serious treatment-related adverse events occurred in either study.
Treatment: The RHEO treatments are similar to blood donation. They consist of establishing two IV lines, one in each arm. The patient's blood will be routed through a blood pump containing two blood filters. The first filter separates the plasma from the blood cells and directs the plasma to the second filter. The second filter sieves out certain high molecular weight proteins like LDL cholesterol and others. The treated plasma is recombined with the patient's cells and the reconstituted whole blood is pumped back into the patient through sterile tubing. Except for starting the IVs, the entire procedure is essentially painless and takes about 2 to 3 hours. No anesthesia is required nor does the patient receive anyone else's blood and the procedural risks are low.
Research demonstrates that this technique removes undesirable protein and waste materials that "sludge-up" the blood, just as an oil filter removes impurities from the oil in a car. Once free of this excess material, capillary blood flow increases, especially to the macula. This research believes that as oxygen and nutrient delivery are restored by fresh blood flow, living cells that were dormant or deteriorating revive and begin to heal. And if enough cells are rejuvenated in the macula, patients may experience improved vision. Some researchers believe that AMD is something like "hardening of the arteries" in the eye. This study is designed to show that the removal of LDL cholesterol and other "bad" substances from the blood will improve the circulation to the eye, hopefully leading to better vision. Patients receiving the placebo treatments do not have the blood filtering.
RheoTherapy blood filtration is a brand name form of therapeutic apheresis. Therapeutic apheresis is an accepted medical treatment that has been in use for 30 years in the U.S. for other diseases."
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00078221?order=9
