Transcripts
DR. ROCK:
Now, we then set out in Canada
to undertake a randomized controlled study
looking at cryosupernatant plasma versus fresh
frozen plasma. The rationale to us was clear.
Our pilot studies indicated benefit but the gold
standard is always the randomized controlled
clinical trial.
I will just walk you briefly
through this to show you that patients with TTP
if they give informed consent and meet all our study
criteria are randomized. They start antiplatelet
drug therapy, which is simply aspirin, and then
what we see is fresh plasma exchange, either
with fresh frozen plasma or with the
cryosupernatant. We always carry out the
exchanges for seven of the first nine days, at
which point the patients are assessed, but
therapy continues depending on the degree of
response with follow-up at one month and then at
six months, which is the end of the study.
