Use of Sorbent Based on Hypercrosslinked Styrene-Divinylbenzene Copolymer With Immobilized LPS-Selective Ligand In Hemoperfusion For Treatment of Patients With Septic Shock

Aim of the study: to evaluate safety and feasibility of clinical use of an extracorporeal blood adsorber based on a hypercrosslinked styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer with immobilized lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-selective ligand designed to remove endotoxins from the bloodstream to treat patients with septic shock.Materials and methods. Nine patients (mean age 58 years, 5 men and 4 women, initial median APACHE II score 28 points, SOFA score 10 points) with confirmed Gram-negative bacterial infection and septic shock (SEPSIS-3, 2016) underwent LPS-selective hemoperfusion using an extracorporeal blood adsorber based on a hypercrosslinked styrene divinylbenzene copolymer with immobilized LPS-selective ligand for 6 hours, followed by prolonged veno-venous hemodiafiltration. Before the hemoperfusion (day 0), immediately after it, a day after its end (day 1) and once daily for the next 4 days we assessed the hemodynamic parameters, oxygenation, organ failure signs, white blood cell count, procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, clinical chemistry parameters.Results. Hemoperfusion resulted in a rapid decrease in the endotoxin activity (EAA test), more than twofold decrease in plasma level of interleukin-1 (immunoenzyme test). At the end of the procedure, the plasma lactate level decreased to normal values by day 3, pH values restored to normal within 1-2 days. The noradrenaline requirement rapidly decreased and completely resolved within 1-3 days, which corresponded to the restoration of mean blood pressure values. The values of the PaO2/FiO2 oxygenation index increased significantly after 24 hours, and the median values of 300 were maintained during all subsequent days of observation. During the first day, hemoperfudion caused a rapid decline in APACHE II and SOFA scores, while acute renal failure (estimated by urea and creatinine levels) resolved gradually by day 5. The hemoperfusion did not affect the unchanged coagulation parameters (prothrombin, fibrinogen, INR). During the first day after the procedure, we observed a short-term 1.5-fold decrease in platelet count with subsequent recovery by days 2-3 in most patients. Two patients, both differing from the rest of the patients prior to treatment in the highest values of APACHE II score (above 30), APTT (above 40) and endotoxin activity in EAA test (above 0.9), died on the 4th and 8th days of treatment. The rest of the patients survived, with clinical improvement in all parameters.Conclusion. The results of extracorporeal blood purification using Efferon LPS extracorporeal blood adsorber indicate a high therapeutic potential of the method and suggest the need for extended clinical trials to assess its clinical efficacy in ICU to reduce the high mortality in patients with septic shock