Acute liver failure (ALF) is a life-threatening disease associated with multi-organ failure and increased mortality. Severe inflammation is now considered the main pathophysiological mechanism for organ dysfunction, thus rebalancing pro- and anti- inflammatory cytokines may improve liver function and outcome. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical effects of a haemoadsorption column on biochemical parameters in patients with ALF. We prospectively included 28 patients with ALF who were treated with three consecutive sessions of continuous venovenous haemofiltration in combination with CytoSorb®. Our results show an improvement in liver functional tests and a decrease in Creactive protein. Thrombocytopenia remains one of the most important side effects of this treatment and careful consideration should be made before initiation of treatment.

Hemoadsorption using CytoSorb® has recently gained attention as a new therapy aimed at modulating the inflammatory response syndrome in critically ill patients. The aim of our study was to assess the clinical effects of CytoSorb in patients with severe acute pancreatitis. We prospectively included 12 patients admitted to the intensive care unit for severe acute pancreatitis. After inclusion, continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration in conjunction with CytoSorb was applied. Clinical data, number of organ dysfunctions, paraclinical data, and vasopressor support were collected before and after the treatment. The use of CytoSorb was associated with a decrease in C-reactive protein from 242 (30, 300) to 180 (20, 252) mg/L (p = 0.04) and procalcitonin from 2.21 (0.01, 15.02) to 1.10 (0.01, 3.79) ng/mL (p = 0.02). The median vasopressor support was 0.1 (0, 0.9) mg/h at the beginning of the treatment and it was discontinued in all cases after the treatment. In conclusion, the use of CytoSorb in patients with severe acute pancreatitis was associated with improved hemodynamics and decreased inflammatory markers.

The aim of the study was to assess clinical and paraclinical effects of hemoadsorption on organ dysfunction, severity scores, and 28-day survival in septic patients. Fifty-five septic patients admitted to a general intensive care unit of a university hospital were included in the present study. Each patient underwent three consecutive 24-hour sessions of renal replacement therapy in combination with hemoadsorption. Clinical and paraclinical variables were measured after the treatment and severity scores were calculated. The use of hemoadsorption was associated with an increase in arterial partial pressure of oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio (P = .02), urine output (P = .01), and Glasgow Coma Score (P = .03) and a decrease in white blood cell count (P = .03), C-reactive protein (P = .01), procalcitonin (P = .01) levels, and platelet count (P = .01). The use of hemoadsorption was associated with an improvement in neurological and renal functions and a decrease in inflammatory markers. Acute respiratory distress syndrome improved significantly based on relevant improvements in one-third of the patients.

Background: Liver failure represents a life-threatening organ dysfunction with liver transplantation as the only proven curable therapy to date. Liver assist devices have been extensively researched to either bridge such patients to transplantation or promote spontaneous recovery. The aim of our study was to compare two such devices, the Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System (MARS) and CytoSorb, in patients with liver failure. Methods: We retrospectively included 15 patients who underwent MARS during their intensive care unit stay and matched them to 15 patients who underwent hemoadsorption using CytoSorb. Clinical and paraclinical data obtained after each individual session, after the course of treatment, as well as at the end of the intensive care unit stay were compared between the two groups. Results: Single sessions of CytoSorb and MARS were both associated with a significant decrease in bilirubin (p = 0.04 and p = 0.04, respectively) and ammonia levels (p = 0.04 and p = 0.04, respectively), but only CytoSorb therapy was associated with a decrease in lactate dehydrogenase levels (p = 0.04) and in platelet count (p = 0.04). After the course of treatment, only CytoSorb was associated with a significant decrease in lactate (p = 0.01), bilirubin (p = 0.01), ammonia (p = 0.02), and lactate dehydrogenase levels (p = 0.01), while patients treated with MARS did not show any improvement in paraclinical liver tests. In addition, only CytoSorb treatment was associated with a significant improvement in the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Score (p = 0.04). Conclusion: In conclusion, our results show a potential benefit of CytoSorb in rebalancing liver functional tests in patients with liver failure compared to MARS but the exact effects on patient outcome, including hospital length of stay and survival, should be further investigated in randomized control trials.