Outcome and Complications of Hemoperfusion in Patients with COVID-19 in Intensive Care Unit: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background & objective: The use of the hemoperfusion method is recommended for treating cytokine storms and reducing complications in patients with COVID-19. The side effects of this treatment are not known; therefore, this study was performed to determine the final outcome and complications of hemoperfusion in patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in ICU.

Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, all patients with severe COVID-19 without any comorbidities or organ failure underwent hemoperfusion treatment in ICU at Kosar Hospital in Semnan, Iran, from March to November 2021 were included. The clinical data and short-term complications up to 10 days after hemoperfusion and the final outcome were extracted from medical files.

Results: The mean age of 40 patients with severe COVID-19 undergoing hemoperfusion was 57.5±15.9 years. Most (24, 60%) patients were male. The time interval from hospitalization to hemoperfusion and the time interval between hemoperfusion and final outcome was 4.85 days and 8.30 days, respectively. Arrhythmia, bleeding, thrombocytopenia, and coagulation disorders were the most common short-term complications of hemoperfusion in patients with COVID-19, respectively. Most complications occurred on the second and third days after hemoperfusion. Mortality occurred in 20 (50 %) patients with severe COVID-19 undergoing hemoperfusion in ICU.

Conclusion: It seems that the short-term complications and deaths due to hemoperfusion are relatively high in patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU. Further studies are recommended.