A 6-year-old boy developed acute liver failure with hepatic coma due to drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) after multiple antibiotics exposure. He had hyperbilirubinemia, elevated serum bile acids and hyperammonemia with peak serum levels of total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, bile acids and ammonia measuring 418, 328, 174, and 172 μmol/L respectively. In addition to the use of systemic steroid and other supportive therapy, he also received three sessions of hemoadsorption using the Cytosorb® column incorporated into the continuous renal replacement therapy circuit as extracorporeal liver support for a total duration of 75 h, which brought down his serum levels of total bilirubin to 119 μmol/L, bile acids to 58 μmol/L, and ammonia to 55 μmol/L. His conscious level gradually regained coupling an improvement of liver function. Except for mild thrombocytopenia and electrolyte disturbances, the therapy was well tolerated with no major complication encountered. Our case demonstrated that hemoadsorption can be safely employed as an adjunctive extracorporeal liver support modality in children with acute liver failure. The potential role and technical concerns of applying such technique in pediatric patients requires further evaluation in future studies.
A 14-year-old male developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) after acquiring the SARS-CoV-2 infection. He deteriorated rapidly requiring inotropic and ventilatory support as well as continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) due to rhabdomyolysis-associated acute kidney injury. A hemoadsoprtion column Cytosorb® was first incorporated into the CRRT circuit for myoglobin and cytokines removal, which was followed by sequential use of another type of cytokine-removing hemofilter (Oxiris®) (altogether 100 hours of extracorporeal blood purification [EBP] therapy). There was no major complication related to the EBP therapy. Cytokine profile revealed a marked reduction of levels of several cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and IL-10 after the EBP therapy. It was noted that both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were removed, and the removal efficacy varied between different devices. His condition improved and the serum ferritin, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin levels also dropped gradually, which correlated well with his clinical progress and the trend of cytokine levels. Our case demonstrated that extracorporeal cytokine removal can be safely applied in children with MIS-C and can be considered as adjunctive therapy in selected patients with critically ill conditions.
A cute care physicians face challenging diagnosis and management issues of children presenting with acute pulmonary hemorrhage from time to time. 1 We have managed children with alarming pulmonary hemorrhage and massive hemoptysis in children with hemosiderosis, pulmonary hypertension, autoimmune and hemolytic disease. These events have prompted us to examine existing literature for updated information and approach to acute management and counseling of the parents (Fig) . A flowchart is proposed to facilitate management of this life-threatening condition.
ETIOLOGIESAcute pulmonary hemorrhage is uncommon and alarming to the patients and their caregivers. Pulmonary hemorrhage can be defined as bleeding from the tracheobronchial tree or alveolar environment. A volume-related definition of hemoptysis has been proposed, with scant (<5 mL), mild to moderate hemoptysis (5-240 mL), and massive when more than 240 mL in a 24-hour period. 2 FIGURE 1. Acute pulmonary hemorrhage flowchart.
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