Sorbent functionalization with vancomycin enhances bacteria killing in extracorporeal hemoadsorption.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Infectious Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Bacteremia levels in sepsis predict patient complications and mortality.
• Extracorporeal blood purification therapies are explored as adjunctive sepsis treatments.
• Drug toxicity can limit sepsis treatment options.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the in vitro efficacy of vancomycin-functionalized HA380 beads for Staphylococcus aureus removal.
• To assess the impact of surface-modified beads in a simulated extracorporeal circulation model.

Main Methods:

• In vitro experiments using S. aureus-enriched blood (800 mL).
• Blood circulation through vancomycin-functionalized and non-functionalized mini-module cartridges (300 mL each).
• Assessment of bactericidal effect by measuring time to positivity in blood cultures, with a 200 mL control.

Main Results:

• A significant increase in the time to positivity for S. aureus blood cultures was observed.
• This effect was noted after 60 and 120 minutes of therapy with the vancomycin-functionalized cartridge compared to the non-functionalized one.

Conclusions:

• Vancomycin-functionalized cartridges offer a potential sepsis treatment strategy, mitigating pharmacological toxicity concerns.
• The prolonged time to bacterial culture positivity demonstrates a proof of concept for antibiotic-functionalized hemoadsorption in sepsis treatment.