Endotoxin removal in septic shock

Endotoxin adsorption therapy with a column containing polymyxin B-immobilized fiber (PMX-DHP) has been widely applied in the treatment of endotoxin-induced septic shock in Japan. Recently, the indications for PMX-DHP have been expanded as it has become clear that anandamide can be removed from the bloodstream with PMX-DHP. On the other hand, continuous hemodiafiltration with a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) membrane hemofilter(PMMA-CHDF) is performed to remove various humoral mediators from the bloodstream in the ICU in many hospitals because it has been accepted that those humoral mediators play a more important role in the pathogenesis of septic shock than endotoxins. According to our own results, there were no differences in the endotoxin removal rate, anandamide removal rate, and survival rate with or without PMX-DHP during PMMA-CHDF in the treatment of patients with septic shock. These results indicate that there is no need to perform PMX-DHP for septic shock as long as PMMA-CHDF is performed, and that the indications for PMX-DHP should be circumspectly investigated again.