Elevated inflammatory mediators and pulmonary hypertension after applying an extracorporeal circuit in a neonatal sepsis model

Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to study the changes in cytokines, oxidative mediators, and pulmonary blood pressure in a neonatal sepsis model when applying an extracorporeal circuit (ECC).

Methods: Of 28 anesthetized and mechanically ventilated 3-day-old piglets, 14 underwent cecal ligation and perforation (CLP), of which 7 underwent ECC for 3 h from 3 to 6 h after CLP. The remaining 14 were sham, of which 7 underwent ECC. Serum interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), total hydroperoxide (TH), nitric oxide metabolites (NOx), and mean pulmonary arterial blood pressure (mPAP)/mean arterial blood pressure (mABP) ratio were measured at pre-CLP and at 3, 6, and 9 h in the CLP groups, and continued in the sham groups at 12, 15, 18, and 24 h.

Results: The CLP group with ECCs compared to the CLP group without it showed higher levels of serum IL-6, IL-10, and NOx at 6 h and higher levels of serum TH at 6 and 9 h. The sham group with ECCs compared to the one without it showed higher levels of serum IL-6 and IL-10 at 12, 15, and 18 h, TH at 6 and 9 h, TNF at 6 h, and IFN-γ at 9 h. The mPAP/mABP ratios in the CLP group with ECCs were higher compared to the CLP group without it at 6 and 9 h.

Conclusion: Applying ECCs provoked a window of cytokines, free radicals elevation, and pulmonary hypertension which could be hazardous in critically ill newborns.