It was hypothesized that increased cytokine levels may lead to negative outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19. In a single-centre, open-label, randomized, controlled trial conducted at the Freiburg University Medical Center 34 patients with severe COVID-19 requiring ECMO therapy were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive cytokine adsorption using the CytoSorb device or not. After 72 hrs, CytoSorb use failed to reduce IL-6 levels as primary endpoint but was associated with markedly increased mortality.
Supady […] Lother et al. Lancet Resp Med 2021