The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the biggest global health crisis of our lifetime.
There is accumulating evidence that a substantial number of critically ill COVID-19
patients exhibit a dysregulated host response manifesting as cytokine storm or cytokine
release syndrome, which in turn contributes to the high observed rates of mortality.
Just as in other hyperinflammatory conditions, extracorporeal cytokine removal may
have potential beneficial effects in this subgroup of COVID-19 patients. The CytoSorb
blood purification device is the most extensively investigated cytokine removal platform
with considerable evidence suggesting that early intervention can provide rapid hemodynamic
stabilization and improvement in vital organ functions. The purpose of this review
is to provide an overview of the pathophysiological background of hyperinflammation
in COVID-19 and to summarize the currently available evidence on the effects of hemoadsorption
in these patients.
