High-Exchange Ultrafiltration to Enhance Recovery After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery: The ULTRA Randomized Controlled Trial
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pediatric cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with systemic inflammation. This trial aimed to determine whether continuous high-exchange ultrafiltration during CPB has a clinical immunomodulatory effect. METHODS: This single-center, double-blind trial enrolled pediatric patients weighing .05). The H-SBUF group had a higher fold change for interleukin-1α, P-selectin, and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (P < .05), whereas 36 other mediators were not significantly different between groups (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: In pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB, continuous high-exchange SBUF did not reduce peak VVR score compared with low-exchange SBUF. Furthermore, there were no differences in secondary clinical outcomes, and the immunologic profile was largely similar between groups.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Cardiac and Coronary Surgery Techniques
Acute Kidney Injury Research
Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment
Publication details
- Journal / source
- The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Volume
- 121
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1158–1167
- Publication date
- 27 January 2026
- Language
- EN