Cytokine Adsorption in Patients with Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia Requiring Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

The treatment of patients with severe COVID-19 requiring support with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (vv-ECMO) is particularly challenging from a medical point of view and consumes a tremendous amount of human, physical, and financial resources. Recommendations for initiation of vv-ECMO in COVID-19 are being developed, though under continuous review. However, despite all therapeutic efforts, these critically ill patients have a high mortality rate according to studies published so far.

At our hospital, a major referral center for extracorporeal support, we have treated several COVID-19 patients with vv-ECMO. Knowing interleukin-6 (IL-6) as a predictor of negative outcome, some patients received cytokine adsorption using the CytoSorb® adsorber (CytoSorbents Europe, Berlin, Germany) shortly after initiation of ECMO for up to 72 h. Based on experience in septic patients, the adsorber was exchanged every 24 h. Integration of the adsorber in the ECMO circuit was feasible and safe. Preliminary data from eight cases (4 patients receiving ECMO with cytokine adsorption, the remaining 4 received ECMO without cytokine adsorption) shows that cytokine adsorption may result in a more pronounced decrease of IL-6 after initiation of ECMO