Is a new filter on the horizon?
As part of an ongoing project to develop a blood purification device for the treatment of sepsis, we designed an extracorporeal hemoadsorption device capable of capturing not only cytokines but also leukocytes.
Two different hemoadsorption devices using sorbent polymer were tested, along with a hemofilter used as a control, and the effects of these interactions on inflammation and immune function were characterized in the setting of human sepsis.
Leukocyte capture using a hemoadsorption device modulates cell-mediated immunity.
• Removal of activated leukocytes may offer great potential as an adjunct treatment for sepsis and may help explain some of the beneficial effects of existing blood purification therapies.
The authors would like to thank Kathy Spitchy, Kathryn Arbogast, Gambro and CytoSorbents for their technical assistance. This work was supported by Award Numbers R01HL080926 and K08HL086671 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NHLBI or the National Institutes of Health.
The surface polarity of this blood purification membrane was modified by the addition of a polyethyleneimine coating, a positively-charged polymer, allowing the membrane to catch negatively charged endotoxins via surface adsorption.
For the hemoadsorption circuits, the beads were located inside miniaturized cartridges. The difference in diameter between large and small beads resulted in a significant increase of the contact area with blood, from 45 cm2 (large beads) to 297 cm2 (small beads).
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