Background: Coupled plasma filtration adsorption (CPFA) is an extracorporeal treatment based on plasma filtration associated with an adsorbent cartridge and hemofiltration. CPFA is able to remove inflammatory mediators and it has been used to treat severe sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction. Limited experience exists on the use of CPFA in treating intra-abdominal infection (IAI). Methods: In this study, the efficacy of CPFA in treating patients with severe IAI and liver failure was evaluated in a retrospective analysis of 76 cases. Results: The survival rate of patients treated with CPFA was 82.6%, with effective removal of endotoxin and inflammatory mediators. Conclusion: Our data suggest that CPFA can be safely and effectively used to lower morbidity and mortality rates of patients with severe IAI and liver failure.
Keywords: bilirubin; coupled plasma filtration adsorption; liver failure; severe intra-abdominal infection.