EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE DIFFERENTIAL FILTRATION - A NEW AND SAFE METHOD TO OPTIMIZE HEMORHEOLOGY IN ACUTE ISCHEMIC STROKE

Can extracorporeal membrane differential filtration be used on patient s with acute stroke to optimize their hemorheology without reducing th e number of oxygen carriers (erythrocytes) - and is this form of treat ment safe? Subjects and methods - In a prospective pilot study, 10 pat ients (67+/-4 years) suffering severe middle cerebral artery (MCA) str oke were treated with membrane differential filtration, which was firs t performed within 12 h following the onset of symptoms and repeated t hree times at intervals of 24 h. Hemorheological parameters were measu red before and after each treatment session. Resorts - Extracorporeal membrane differential filtration treatment immediately led to a signif icant and sustained drop in all hemorheological parameters (fibrinogen by 54%, alpha(2)-macroglobulin by 76%, total cholesterol by 65%, LDL by 82%, and HDL by 38%). Plasma viscosity dropped from 1.3 to 1.1 mPa s, erythrocyte aggregation by 57%. By contrast, hematocrit and the ery throcyte count remained constant. Treatment had no side-effects. Concl usions - Extracorporeal membrane differential filtration is a safe met hod to optimize hemorheology in patients with acute ischemic stroke.