BACKGROUND: In recent years there have been attempts to treat sepsis using various methods of extracorporeal blood purification in order to eliminate selected mediators of inflammation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study assessed 28 patients (17 males, 11 females, age 60.3 ± 14.5 years) in septic shock, treated with continuous venovenous hemodialysis (CVVHD). Oligoanuric patients with acute kidney injury were qualified for 24-hour CVVHD using high cut-off (HCO) hemofilter. Before the start of dialysis and after 24 hours of treatment, the concentration levels of selected cytokines (IFN-α, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12) in serum were assessed. After 12 hours and 24 hours of treatment, the concentration of the same cytokines in the dialysis fluid was assessed. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of HCO-CVVHD in the removal of selected cytokines.

RESULTS: After 24-hour HCO-CVVHD treatment, IL-10 and IL-12 levels in serum were significantly lower. Concentrations of INF-α, IL-1β and IL-2 in dialysis fluid significantly increased during HCO-CVVHD, which corresponded with the parallel rise of related clearances. Clearance of IL-6 was approximately four times higher than IL-10. The rise of IL-6 during HCO-CVVHD significantly correlated with mortality due to sepsis.

CONCLUSIONS: Continuous venovenous hemodialysis using high cut-off hemofilter proved to be effective in the removal of IFN-α, IL-1β, IL-2 and IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12 from serum in patients during septic shock. The rise of IL-6 during HCO-CVVHD seems to be a marker of bad prognosis in septic shock patients.

Keywords: Cytokines - blood, Acute Kidney Injury - therapy, Hemofiltration - methods, Pilot Projects, Renal Dialysis - methods, Shock, Septic - therapy