A Greek nephrologist has said a 35-year-old woman from Cyprus ended up hospitalized after undergoing plasmapheresis sessions at the Stem Cell clinic on Karneadou Street in the Kolonaki district of Athens, the same clinic at the centre of the investigation into the death of singer Giorgos Mazonakis.
Christos Iatrou told Greek broadcaster ERT that he had been called to a private hospital to examine the woman after her treatments at the clinic about a year earlier. He made the disclosure as part of a complaint against the clinic and the two doctors who run it, Theodoropoulos and Gakas, following Mazonakis's death.
According to Iatrou, the patient had undergone many plasmapheresis sessions, and her father told him she had paid tens of thousands of euros for the treatments.
Medical Association found no machine
Iatrou said Greece's Medical Association was informed of the case and carried out an inspection of the clinic, but its inspectors did not find any plasmapheresis equipment on the premises.
He said he later learned that the machine used had never been registered with the Medical Association. He noted that the Swiss manufacturer of such equipment has a representative in Greece, based in Thessaloniki.
No proof it fights ageing
Iatrou said plasmapheresis is not a documented method for anti-ageing or longevity, and that no studies show it helps in that area. He explained that therapeutic plasmapheresis is meant for patients who are already ill, and that an American plasmapheresis body sets out specific guidelines for when the treatment can be of benefit.
He said that when plasmapheresis is carried out properly, the cases in which it is indicated are clearly defined, adding that it was striking that the practice was reportedly being carried out in an ordinary doctor's office rather than a hospital.
Treatment belongs in hospitals
Iatrou said that in Greece, plasmapheresis is performed in hospitals, though not necessarily large ones, as long as the right machine and an organised medical team are in place. He said it can also be carried out privately, at large treatment centres.
He argued that clear rules are needed for such practices, saying there was no question rules had to be introduced, and that they needed to be put in place now. He added that there will always be people who try to find ways around the rules.
Iatrou said it is not enough for a clinic to own an approved machine. He said the equipment must be kept in a specific, suitable space, operated by a properly trained person, and used only with the required medical staff present.
A method dating to 1913
Iatrou described plasmapheresis as an old technique, first used in 1913 and widely adopted from the 1970s onward. He said it is mainly used to separate donated blood so that plasma, red blood cells and platelets can be transfused to patients according to their needs.
He said there is also a therapeutic form of plasmapheresis, in which plasma is taken from a patient and passed through a machine or a centrifuge, with the plasma that is removed replaced by other plasma or another fluid.
Background to the case
Giorgos Mazonakis is a well-known Greek singer whose death prompted Iatrou's complaint against the Stem Cell clinic and the doctors who operate it. The clinic and the circumstances of his death remain under investigation.
Iatrou did not give further details on the current condition of the Cypriot patient he described.
