The role of polymyxin B-immobilized hemoperfusion in reducing mortality and enhancing hemodynamics in patients with sepsis and septic shock: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: Polymyxin B-immobilized hemoperfusion (PMX-HP) is a therapeutic strategy for removing circulating endotoxins from patients with sepsis or septic shock. However, the survival advantage of PMX-HP treatment remains controversial for patients with sepsis/septic shock. Therefore, this study collected all the clinical trials to assess the effect and the safety of PMX-HP treatment. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for eligible trials fromtheir inception through June 30, 2023. All clinical trials that investigated the effect of polymyxin B hemoperfusion in patients who died with sepsis or septic shock within 28-day mortality were eligible. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment instrument and the ROBINS-I tool were used to assess the risk of bias. Results: A total of 30 trials, including 25680 adult patients, were included. PMX-HP decreased 28-day mortality (OR 0.75, 95 % CI 0.65-0.88; p＜0.00001). Subgroup analysis revealed that 28-day mortality was significantly reduced after PMX-HP treatment in the mixed infection site group and in the age under 70 years old group. PMX-HP might also lower endotoxin levels (MD -1.22, 95 % CI -1.62 - 0.81, p < 0.00001) and improve SOFA scores (MD -2.11, 95 % CI -3.80- 0.43, p = 0.01). PMX-HP was not linked to the development of significant adverse events (p = 0. 05). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that PMX-HP therapy can reduce 28-day mortality in individuals with sepsis or septic shock. The therapeutic effect may be due to the ability of PMX-HP to lower endotoxin levels and enhance hemodynamics. However, further assessment of the clinical effects of PMX-HP on sepsis or septic shock is required.