[Application of a risk stratification-based model for prediction of acute kidney injury combined with hemoperfusion in patients with sepsis: a prospective, observational, pilot study].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a risk stratification-based model for prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI) combined with hemoperfusion (HP) in the treatment of patients with sepsis.

METHODS

A prospective, observational, pilot trial was conducted. The patients who met the Sepsis-3 diagnostic criteria admitted to intensive care unit of Lanzhou University Second Hospital from May to December in 2019 were enrolled as the research objects. Through the AKI early warning model established by the research group in the early stage, AKI risk > 30% was defined as AKI high risk. Patients with AKI high risk were enrolled in the observation group, and the remaining patients were enrolled in the control group. All patients were given conventional treatment, including the search and treatment of original infection sites, the use of antibiotics and main organ function support. Patients in the observation group were combined with HP treatment on the basis of conventional treatment, 2.5 hours per day for 3 days. The baseline data of gender, age, infection site, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and serum creatinine (SCr) were recorded. The inflammatory indexes such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and procalcitonin (PCT) were detected at ICU admission, 24 hours and 72 hours after ICU admission, and the length of ICU stay, ICU mortality and bleeding were recorded.

RESULTS

Among the 49 patients with sepsis enrolled in this study, the main diagnosis was pneumonia, and Gram-negative (G) bacilli were the main pathogenic bacteria [61.2% (30/49)]. Among them, 30 patients with AKI risk > 30% were in the observation group, and the remaining 19 patients were in the control group. There was no significant difference in gender, age, infection site, APACHE II score, SOFA score, MAP or other baseline data between the two groups, but the baseline value of SCr in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (μmol/L: 112.2±34.4 vs. 93.4±13.0, P < 0.05). At ICU admission, there was no significant difference in IL-6, LPS or PCT between the two groups. However, with the extension of ICU time, the inflammatory indexes of the two groups showed a downward trend. At 24 hours after ICU admission, there was no significant difference in IL-6, LPS or PCT between the two groups. At 72 hours after ICU admission, IL-6 in the experimental group decreased significantly as compared with the control group (ng/L: 90.9±38.1 vs. 119.1±41.9, P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in LPS or PCT between the two groups. The length of ICU stay in the experimental group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (days: 9.77±2.76 vs. 12.47±3.85, P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference in the ICU mortality between the experimental group and control group (20.0% vs. 21.1%, P > 0.05). None of the 49 patients had severe bleeding events.

CONCLUSIONS

The application of a risk stratification-based model for prediction of AKI combined with HP in septic patients is feasible both in theory and in clinical practice, and shortens the length of ICU stay, but fails to effectively remove inflammatory mediators or reduce sepsis mortality. A large sample, multicenter, randomized controlled study is still needed for further verification.