Removal of Meropenem and Piperacillin during Experimental Hemoadsorption with the HA380 Cartridge

Introduction: Hemoadsorption can be used as adjunctive therapy for sepsis. However, there is limited evidence regarding its antibiotic removal. In this in vivo preclinical study, we aimed to evaluate the removal of meropenem and piperacillin with the HA380 hemoadsorption cartridge.

Methods: Healthy adult sheep (n = 6) received 2 g of meropenem and 4 g of piperacillin intravenously for 30 min followed by hemoadsorption with a HA380 cartridge at a blood flow rate of 120 mL/min for 4 h. The sorbent-based removal ratio, clearance, and mass removal were calculated at multiple time points.

Results: The sorbent-based removal ratio of meropenem decreased from 95.4% (SD 1.8) at 10 min to less than 20% at 4 h of hemoadsorption. Its cumulative sorbent-based mass removal was 386.6 mg (SD 78.8) over 4 h with 65.6% (SD 7.1) occurring in the first 60 min. In contrast, the sorbent-based removal ratio of piperacillin decreased more gradually from 98.4% (SD 0.6) at 10 min to 37.4% (SD 7.2) at 4 h. Its cumulative sorbent-based mass removal was 647.4 mg (SD 191.3) over 4 h with 63.4% (SD 4.2) occurring in the first 60 min. The overall sorbent-based clearance of piperacillin was significantly greater than meropenem (pgroup < 0.0001).

Conclusion: Hemoadsorption with the HA380 cartridge removed meropenem and piperacillin throughout a 4-h period, with high clearances at the start. Our findings can be used to inform dosing decisions during hemoadsorption in septic patients, there may be the need to consider increasing the doses of these antibiotics by 15-25% to prevent underdosing.