[Plasma contents of cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6) and their clearance during continuous hemofiltration in patients with sepsis and multiple organ failure].

The total-systems inflammatory response was assessed in patients with sepsis and multiple organ failure by measuring plasma cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-6 and their clearance and total elimination in the course of permanent hemofiltration (PHF). Sepsis and multiple organ failure were found to involve a stable circulation of numerous cytokines, their levels reaching the peaks in some cases. No correlation between the content of individual cytokines in the plasma were detected. Appreciable amounts of TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta were eliminated during PHF, their clearance being approximately 15 ml/min, whereas elimination of IL-6 was negligible. Hence, PHF affects the mediator component in the pathogenesis of sepsis and the multiple organ failure syndrome.