Sequential Extracorporeal Therapy in Sepsis

Sepsis is a life-threatening syndrome initiated by a dysregulated host response to infection. Maladaptive inflammatory burst damages host tissues and causes organ dysfunction, the burden of which has been demonstrated as the paramount predictor of worse clinical outcomes. In this setting, septic shock represents the most lethal complication of sepsis and implies profound alterations of both the cardiovascular system and cellular metabolism with consequent high mortality rate. Although an increasing amount of evidence attempts to characterize this clinical condition, the complexity of multiple interconnections between underlying pathophysiological pathways requires further investigations. Accordingly, most therapeutic interventions remain purely supportive and should be integrated in light of the continuous organ cross-talk, in order to match a patient's specific needs. In this context, different organ supports may be combined to replace multiple organ dysfunctions through the application of sequential extracorporeal therapy in sepsis (SETS). In this chapter, we provide an overview of sepsis-induced organ dysfunction, focusing on the pathophysiological pathways that are triggered by endotoxin. Based on the need to apply specific blood purification techniques in specific time windows with different targets, we suggest a sequence of extracorporeal therapies. Accordingly, we reported the hypothesis that sepsis-induced organ dysfunction may benefit the most from SETS. Finally, we point out basic principles of this innovative approach and describe a multifunctional platform that allows SETS, in order to make clinicians aware of this new therapeutic frontier for critically ill patients.