Treatment outcome and efficacy of therapeutic plasma exchange for transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy in a large real-world cohort study

The efficacy and outcome of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) for transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) remain controversial. We therefore sought to evaluate the outcome and efficacy of TPE in patients with TA-TMA and to identify TA-TMA patients who would benefit from TPE management. Eighty-two patients with TA-TMA were treated with TPE. We reported a response rate of 52% and overall survival rates of 20% and 15% at 100 days and 1 year after TA-TMA, respectively, in TPE-treated patients, with a significantly lower survival in gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding patients (5% vs. 41% in non-GI bleeding patients, P = 0.003). Multivariate analysis revealed that patients with GI bleeding, grade III-IV aGVHD, severe anemia, and a lower cumulative volume of TPE were less likely to respond to TPE. GI bleeding, a lower initial volume of TPE, and elevated total bilirubin were independently associated with 100-day mortality. The leading causes of death were infection, active TA-TMA, and MODS. The results of this large cohort of real-world practice indicate that the efficacy and outcome of TPE for TA-TMA patients without GI bleeding are encouraging, and a higher volume of TPE is warranted to achieve favorable outcomes.