Combined extracorporeal CO2 removal and renal replacement therapy in a pregnant patient with COVID-19: a case report.

Background. Pregnant women are at high risk of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome. Currently, one of the cornerstones in the treatment of this condition is lung-protective ventilation (LPV) with low tidal volumes. However, the occurrence of hypercapnia may limit this ventilatory strategy. So, different extracorporeal CO2 removal (ECCO2R) procedures have been developed. ECCO2R comprises a variety of techniques, including low-flow and high-flow systems, that may be performed with dedicated devices or combined with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Case description. Here, we report a unique case of a pregnant patient affected by COVID-19 who required extracorporeal support for multiorgan failure. While on LPV, because of the concomitant hypercapnia and acute kidney injury, the patient was treated with an ECCO2R membrane inserted in series after a hemofilter in a CRRT platform. This combined treatment reducing hypercapnia allowed LPV maintenance at the same time while providing kidney replacement and ensuring maternal and fetal hemodynamic stability. Adverse effects consisted of minor bleeding episodes due to the anticoagulation required to maintain the extracorporeal circuit patency. The patient's pulmonary and kidney function progressively recovered, permitting the withdrawal of any extracorporeal treatment. At the 25th gestational week, the patient underwent spontaneous premature vaginal delivery because of placental abruption. She gave birth to an 800-gram female baby, who three days later died because of multiorgan failure related to extreme prematurity. Conclusions. This case supports using ECCO2R-CRRT combined treatment as a suitable approach in the management of complex conditions, such as pregnancy, even in the case of severe COVID-19.

Successful Extracorporeal Blood Purification Therapy using Double Haemoadsorption Device in Severe Endotoxin Septic Shock: A Case Report.

Introduction: In patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), sepsis can lead to acute kidney injury (AKI), which may require the initiation of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in 15-20% of cases. There is no consensus about the best extracorporeal treatment to choose in septic patients with AKI. Case presentation: We describe the case of a 70-year-old woman admitted to the ICU with a severe endotoxin septic shock due to Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C. Despite prompt medical intervention, including fluid resuscitation, high dose vasopressor, inotrope support, and broad-spectrum antimicrobial treatment, in a few hours patient's haemodynamic worsened and she developed multi-organ failure, including severe AKI, requiring CRRT. So, continuous veno-venous haemodiafiltration was started, using an oXiris® haemodiafilter set, in series with an adsorber device (CytoSorb®). After 48 hours of this combined extracorporeal treatment, haemodynamic parameters improved, allowing a significant reduction of the vasoactive therapy, with a concomitant decrease in endotoxin and inflammatory markers serum levels. In the following days patient's conditions still improved and renal function recovered. Conclusions: Timely extracorporeal blood purification therapy, using a double haemoadsorption device, may be effective in the management of severe septic shock.

Changes of Acute Kidney Injury Epidemiology during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

To evaluate the impact of the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic on the epidemiology of acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalized patients, we performed a retrospective cohort study comparing data of patients hospitalized from January 2016 to December 2019 (pre-COVID-19 period) and from January to December 2020 (COVID-19 period, including both severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-negative and positive patients). AKI was classified by evaluating the kinetics of creatinine levels. A total of 51,681 patients during the pre-COVID-19 period and 10,062 during the COVID-19 period (9026 SARS-CoV-2-negative and 1036 SARS-CoV-2-positive) were analyzed. Patients admitted in the COVID-19 period were significantly older, with a higher prevalence of males. In-hospital AKI incidence was 31.7% during the COVID-19 period (30.5% in SARS-CoV-2-negative patients and 42.2% in SARS-CoV-2-positive ones) as compared to 25.9% during the pre-COVID-19 period (p < 0.0001). In the multivariate analysis, AKI development was independently associated with both SARS-CoV-2 infection and admission period. Moreover, evaluating the pre-admission estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) we found that during the COVID-19 period, there was an increase in AKI stage 2−3 incidence both in patients with pre-admission eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and in those with eGFR ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 ("de novo" AKI). Similarly, clinical outcomes evaluated as intensive care unit admission, length of hospital stay, and mortality were significantly worse in patients admitted in the COVID-19 period. Additionally, in this case, the mortality was independently correlated with the admission during the COVID-19 period and SARS-CoV-2 infection. In conclusion, we found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, in-hospital AKI epidemiology has changed, not only for patients affected by COVID-19. These modifications underline the necessity to rethink AKI management during health emergencies.