Caitlin Raymond: When We Talk About Plasma Exchange, Most Discussions Stop At What We’re Removing, But That’s Only Half The Story
Caitlin Raymond, a board-certified Clinical Pathologist and current Transfusion Medicine Fellow at the National Institutes of Health, shared on LinkedIn:
”The Overlooked Half of the Exchange
When we talk about plasma exchange, most discussions stop at what we’re removing — antibodies, paraproteins, cytokines. But that’s only half the story.
Replacement fluid is the other half — and it quietly dictates safety, hemostasis, and recovery.
The right choice isn’t just technical; it’s clinical judgment in action.
In my latest blog post, I break down:
- When to use albumin vs. plasma, and why the timing matters
- How combination strategies (like 50:50 albumin–FFP) can balance practicality and bleeding risk
- Common myths and misconceptions — including why “albumin is always safer” isn’t true
- Real-world scenarios: TTP, transplant desensitization, AMR, and more
Read the full post.
Choosing the replacement fluid isn’t just following a protocol — it’s the art within the algorithm.
Because in apheresis, the machines may be automated, but judgment isn’t.”

Stay tuned for more posts on transfusion medicine featured in Hemostasis Today.
-
Feb 22, 2026, 14:16Ilenia Calcaterra: From Representation to Intellectual Independence in Women in Science
-
Feb 22, 2026, 13:27Pete Stibbs: New AHA and ACC PE Guidelines Finally Align with Real Clinical Practice
-
Feb 22, 2026, 10:39Tagreed Alkaltham: Fibrinogen Concentrate Is a Deliberate Clinical Choice in Acute Bleeding
-
Feb 22, 2026, 09:38Abdulrahman Nasiri: Significant Shifts In The 2026 AHA/ACC Guidelines for Acute Pulmonary Embolism
-
Feb 22, 2026, 09:22Shiny K. Kajal: Not All Transfusion Reactions Are Immunohematologic Incompatibilities
-
Feb 22, 2026, 09:12Arun V J։ The Hidden Risks in Every Blood Bag
-
Feb 22, 2026, 08:56Parandzem Khachatryan։ How Hard Is It to Be a Mom, a Wife, a Professor, and a Doctor All at Once?
-
Feb 22, 2026, 08:46Anirban Sen Gupta Presents Bioinspired Platelet Surrogates at MTEC
-
Feb 22, 2026, 08:31Heghine Khachatryan: Advancing Care for Women and Girls with Bleeding Disorders is A Matter of Equity