Introduction:
There is mounting evidence that extracorporeal blood purification can aid in the recovery of patients with multiorgan dysfunction associated with various etiologies. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of adding extracorporeal blood purification methods to conventional treatment of critically ill patients in our center.
Methods:
Our study enrolled 61 patients between 2019 and the end of 2023 who required extracorporeal blood purification due to systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis, macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS), of various etiologies. Patients were primarily hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs) of surgical and internal clinic, the COVID hospital, and our Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation. The nephrologists indicated and managed all extracorporeal blood purification procedures, even for patients with normal kidney function.
Results:
The total number of patients treated with any form of extracorporeal blood purification between 2019 and the end of 2023 was 61, and the total number of treatments was 106. The most common indication for initiating the treatment was sepsis, and the majority of patients were in intensive care units. Most often, the method of choice for initiating the treatment was hemodiafiltration, which was subsequently combined with hemoperfusion. On average, each patient received 2 treatments, each lasting between 10 to 24 hours. Approximately two-thirds of the patients survived. None of the patients with acute kidney damage or failure, among other indications for treatment, remained dependent on dialysis. In our experience, early consultation with a nephrologist and timely start of treatment were associated with positive outcomes in terms of overall survival and recovery of renal function.
Conclusions:
According to our findings, extracorporeal blood purification methods should be considered the standard treatment for critically ill patients suffering from multisystem organ dysfunction and/or failure. These methods not only play an important role in purifying the blood, but also provide time to treat the underlying cause through other modalities including surgical and conservative methods.
I have no potential conflict of interest to disclose.
I did not use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.