Jena/Lobeda, 03.03.2026. The Universitätsklinikum Jena (UKJ) looks back on a quarter-century of experience in blood purification therapy. In February 2001, a patient was treated with therapeutic apheresis at the site for the first time to prevent life-threatening organ rejection.
- Event: 25th anniversary of therapeutic apheresis
- Premiere: February 2001 (treatment of transplant rejection)
- Location: Universitätsklinikum Jena, Lobeda site
- Clinic Info: www.uniklinikum-jena.de
A Milestone in Intensive Care Medicine
Therapeutic apheresis, often colloquially referred to as blood washing, is a highly specialized mechanical procedure that has been firmly established at the Universitätsklinikum Jena for 25 years now. The premiere took place in February 2001: at that time, the procedure was used to treat a patient whose body was threatening to reject a transplanted organ. By specifically purifying the blood, the immune response was dampened and the life-threatening situation was averted.
During apheresis, the patient’s blood is continuously guided into an extracorporeal (located outside the body) circuit. A special machine separates the blood components and specifically removes pathogenic substances. These include, for example, aggressive autoantibodies, harmful proteins, or extremely high blood lipid levels that cannot be lowered by other means. The purified blood is then returned directly to the body.
Life-Saving in Complex Clinical Pictures
This elaborate procedure is used whenever conventional drug therapies are insufficient or extremely rapid help is required. Typical areas of application include acute flare-ups of autoimmune diseases, severe neurological disorders, poisoning, or acute rejection reactions after organ transplants. For many critically ill patients throughout Thüringen, the UKJ, as a maximum care provider, is the most important and often the only point of contact for such complex medical interventions.
Background: The University Hospital in Lobeda
The Universitätsklinikum Jena (UKJ) is the only one of its kind in Thüringen and looks back on over 200 years of medical tradition. With the consolidation of almost all clinical disciplines at the state-of-the-art site in the Lobeda district, the paths for interdisciplinary treatments have been drastically shortened in recent years. For highly complex emergency procedures such as therapeutic apheresis, the close spatial and professional networking of intensive care medicine, nephrology, and transfusion medicine in Lobeda offers ideal conditions for rapid patient care. In addition to patient care, the UKJ acts as a central engine for medical research and teaching in the Free State.
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When purified blood saves lives
Transparency note: This article was created automatically, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.