Plasmapheresis: Lifesaving treatment in severe cases of HELLP syndrome

Background: hellp syndrome is one of the important complications in pregnancy which increases the maternal mortality rate from 1.1 to 25% and the fetal mortality from 7.4 to 34%. this disease usually remits with supportive treatment which includes prescription of corticosteroid, magnesium sulfate, stabilization of mother and pregnancy termination. plasmapheresis is a treatment of choice which improves clinical outcomes in complicated cases. case presentation: a 22-year-old woman with coagulopathy and respiratory distress and 33-year-old woman with a history of cerebellar medulloblastoma and at 32 weeks of gestation developed thrombocytopenia who were treated with plasmapheresis are described. conclusion: plasmapheresis can significantly improve the patients with hellp syndrome who are unresponsive to conservative therapy.