American Society for Apheresis
Encyclopedia
The American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) is an organization of physician
s, scientists, nurses, and allied health professionals
whose mission is to advance apheresis
medicine for patients, donors and practitioners through education, evidence-based practice, research and advocacy. ASFA represents a broad range of health care professionals involved in apheresis
medicine including those practicing pathology
, transplantation, hematology
, oncology
, neurology
, rheumatology
, nephrology
, hepatology
, gastroenterology
, cardiology
, and ophthamology. These health care providers are involved in the performance of therapeutic apheresis procedures including plasma exchange, red cell exchange
, leukocytapheresis
, plateletapheresis
, photopheresis
, LDL apheresis
, and hematopoietic progenitor cell collection. ASFA also represents those physicians and allied health professionals involved in the collection of blood products from blood donors
using apheresis instruments. The vision of ASFA is to be the leading organization in apheresis medicine dedicated to improving patient and donor care through evidence-based practices and applications. The core values are: Excellence, Trust, Transparency and Collaboration.
The major activities of ASFA are member driven and educational, including publication of the Journal of Clinical Apheresis Special Issue: Clinical Applications of Therapeutic Apheresis: An Evidence Based Approach, publication of Principles of Apheresis Technology Textbook, publication of Therapeutic Apheresis: A Physician's Handbook, monthly apheresis educational webinar program and developing programming for the ASFA Annual Meeting.
ASFA was formed in 1982. It grew from the merger of two organizations, the Society of Hemapheresis Specialists (SHS) and the original ASFA. The SHS was formed by nursing and allied health personnel, who were responsible for performing the donor and therapeutic procedures and operating the various blood cell
separators. It was formed provide educational and networking opportunities in the field of apheresis medicine that were not available and which were needed by the original members in order to advance the field. SHS became a national forum for the exchange of views and best practices and was the forerunner of the efforts directed toward apheresis practitioner certification
.
The original ASFA developed from a physician-scientist symposia. It was originally developed for the purpose to present scientific research on donor and therapeutic apheresis topics. The first apheresis symposium was held in Chicago
in 1979, and was the first of annual symposia. The subsequent symposia were named the ASFA Symposia. Most of the initial Officers and Board of Directors of ASFA presented at these symposia, from which the structure of the organization grew. In 1982, John Verrier-Jones, became the first president of ASFA. He noted that the term “apheresis” had been in use since 1914, and that the appropriate terms was “apheresis”, not “pheresis” as was quite widely used at the time.
The original educational missions of the ASFA Symposia and the SHS continue and are the primary focus of the American Society for Apheresis. In addition to providing education in apheresis medicine for healthcare professionals, ASFA also now seeks to provide education to patients undergoing apheresis treatment.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s, scientists, nurses, and allied health professionals
Allied health professions
Allied health professions are clinical health care professions distinct from dentistry, nursing and medicine. One estimate reported allied health professionals make up 60 percent of the total health workforce...
whose mission is to advance apheresis
Apheresis
Apheresis is a medical technology in which the blood of a donor or patient is passed through an apparatus that separates out one particular constituent and returns the remainder to the circulation...
medicine for patients, donors and practitioners through education, evidence-based practice, research and advocacy. ASFA represents a broad range of health care professionals involved in apheresis
Apheresis
Apheresis is a medical technology in which the blood of a donor or patient is passed through an apparatus that separates out one particular constituent and returns the remainder to the circulation...
medicine including those practicing pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
, transplantation, hematology
Hematology
Hematology, also spelled haematology , is the branch of biology physiology, internal medicine, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and pediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases...
, oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
, neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
, rheumatology
Rheumatology
Rheumatology is a sub-specialty in internal medicine and pediatrics, devoted to diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Clinicians who specialize in rheumatology are called rheumatologists...
, nephrology
Nephrology
Nephrology is a branch of internal medicine and pediatrics dealing with the study of the function and diseases of the kidney.-Scope of the specialty:...
, hepatology
Hepatology
Hepatology is the branch of medicine that incorporates the study of liver, gallbladder, biliary tree, and pancreas as well as management of their disorders. Etymologically the word Hepatology is formed of ancient Greek hepar or hepato- meaning ' liver' and suffix -logia meaning 'word' or 'speech'...
, gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
, cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
, and ophthamology. These health care providers are involved in the performance of therapeutic apheresis procedures including plasma exchange, red cell exchange
Erythrocytapheresis
Erythrocytapheresis is an apheresis procedure by which erythrocytes are separated from whole blood. It is an extracorporeal blood separation method whereby whole blood is extracted from a donor or patient, the red blood cells are separated, and the remaining blood is returned to circulation.-...
, leukocytapheresis
Leukoreduction
Leukoreduction is the removal of white blood cells from the blood or blood components supplied for blood transfusion. After the removal of the leukocytes, the blood product is said to be leukoreduced.- Benefits and costs :...
, plateletapheresis
Plateletpheresis
Plateletpheresis is the process of collecting thrombocytes, more commonly called platelets, a component of blood involved in blood clotting...
, photopheresis
Photopheresis
In medicine, photopheresis or extracorporeal photopheresis is a form of apheresis and photodynamic therapy in which blood is treated with photoactivable drugs which are then activated with ultraviolet light....
, LDL apheresis
LDL apheresis
In medicine, LDL apheresis is a form of apheresis, resembling dialysis, to eliminate the cholesterol-containing particle low-density lipoprotein from the bloodstream.-Uses:...
, and hematopoietic progenitor cell collection. ASFA also represents those physicians and allied health professionals involved in the collection of blood products from blood donors
Blood donation
A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions or made into medications by a process called fractionation....
using apheresis instruments. The vision of ASFA is to be the leading organization in apheresis medicine dedicated to improving patient and donor care through evidence-based practices and applications. The core values are: Excellence, Trust, Transparency and Collaboration.
The major activities of ASFA are member driven and educational, including publication of the Journal of Clinical Apheresis Special Issue: Clinical Applications of Therapeutic Apheresis: An Evidence Based Approach, publication of Principles of Apheresis Technology Textbook, publication of Therapeutic Apheresis: A Physician's Handbook, monthly apheresis educational webinar program and developing programming for the ASFA Annual Meeting.
ASFA was formed in 1982. It grew from the merger of two organizations, the Society of Hemapheresis Specialists (SHS) and the original ASFA. The SHS was formed by nursing and allied health personnel, who were responsible for performing the donor and therapeutic procedures and operating the various blood cell
Blood cell
A blood cell, also called a hematocyte, is a cell normally found in blood. In mammals, these fall into three general categories:* red blood cells — Erythrocytes* white blood cells — Leukocytes* platelets — Thrombocytes...
separators. It was formed provide educational and networking opportunities in the field of apheresis medicine that were not available and which were needed by the original members in order to advance the field. SHS became a national forum for the exchange of views and best practices and was the forerunner of the efforts directed toward apheresis practitioner certification
Certification
Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit...
.
The original ASFA developed from a physician-scientist symposia. It was originally developed for the purpose to present scientific research on donor and therapeutic apheresis topics. The first apheresis symposium was held in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1979, and was the first of annual symposia. The subsequent symposia were named the ASFA Symposia. Most of the initial Officers and Board of Directors of ASFA presented at these symposia, from which the structure of the organization grew. In 1982, John Verrier-Jones, became the first president of ASFA. He noted that the term “apheresis” had been in use since 1914, and that the appropriate terms was “apheresis”, not “pheresis” as was quite widely used at the time.
The original educational missions of the ASFA Symposia and the SHS continue and are the primary focus of the American Society for Apheresis. In addition to providing education in apheresis medicine for healthcare professionals, ASFA also now seeks to provide education to patients undergoing apheresis treatment.