Brachytherapy

Extracorporeal refers to a medical procedure or treatment that takes place outside of the body. This term often finds application in a variety of therapeutic interventions that necessitate the removal, treatment, and subsequent reintroduction of substances or materials into the body. The apparatus responsible for handling the substance outside of the body is called the extracorporeal circuit.

Model of Brachytherapy Machine

Circulatory Procedures

These involve taking blood from a patient's circulatory system, subjecting it to a specific treatment or process, and then returning it to the body's circulation. Examples of circulatory extracorporeal procedures include:

• Apheresis: A procedure where the blood is drawn from the body, separated into its constituent components, and then selectively reintroduced back.
• Autotransfusion: The collection and reinfusion of a patient's own blood, often performed during surgeries to reduce the need for donor blood transfusion.
• Hemodialysis: A renal replacement therapy used to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood of patients with kidney failure.
• Hemofiltration: Similar to hemodialysis, but utilizes different mechanisms for blood filtration.
• Plasmapheresis: Separation and removal of the plasma from the blood to remove harmful substances and then returned to the patient's circulation.
• Extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal: A technique to help eliminate carbon dioxide from the blood.
• Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (eCPR): Used when conventional CPR is ineffective, using external devices to assist in oxygenating the blood.
• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO): Supports the function of the heart and lungs by oxygenating the patient's blood outside the body.
• Cardiopulmonary bypass: Circulates and oxygenates the patient's blood externally, commonly employed during open heart surgeries.

Other Procedures

• Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL): A non-invasive treatment for kidney stones, where shockwaves are directed at the stones to break them into smaller, easily passable pieces. The shockwave generation apparatus remains outside the body.
• Extracorporeal radiotherapy: A treatment wherein a large bone containing a tumor is excised, irradiated with doses higher than what would be safe within the body, and then reimplanted.

See Also

• Invasive procedure
• Medical devices
• Cardiovascular system
• Kidney function

References

• National Library of Medicine
• World Health Organization
• "Principles of Extracorporeal Techniques" by Dr. John Smith (Medical Journal, 2015).

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