The 28-day survival rates of two cytokine-adsorbing hemofilters for continuous renal replacement therapy: a single-center retrospective comparative study

Aim Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) with a cytokine-adsorbing hemofilter (CAH) is effective in the treatment of sepsis. Two filter types, namely polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and surface-treated AN69 (AN69ST) hemofilters, have been successfully used for CRRT, but no direct comparisons have been published to date. This study compared the efficacy, as measured by 28-day survival rates, of PMMA and AN69ST hemofilters in patients receiving CAH-CRRT. Methods This retrospective observational study reviewed the medical records of 142 patients who received CAH-CRRT between November 2013 and February 2015. Results The 28-day survival rates were higher in the AN69ST group than in the PMMA group for patients with or without sepsis (all patients, 79.4% versus 54.1%; patients with sepsis, 77.3% versus 50.0%; patients without sepsis, 83.3% versus 57.5%; P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed regarding 28-day survival rates of patients with or without sepsis (AN69ST, 77.3% versus 83.3%; P = 0.51; PMMA, 50.0% versus 57.5%; P = 0.61) using the same hemofilter. Conclusion The AN69ST hemofilter could be more effective than PMMA hemofilters for improving the survival outcomes of patients with or without sepsis.