Abstract
Baseline left ventricular (LV) dysfunction is associated with subsequent risks of acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality in patients with sepsis. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in hemodynamically unstable patients with severe sepsis and septic shock combined with LV dysfunction. In this multicenter retrospective study, severe sepsis and septic shock patients with LV dysfunction were classified into one of two groups according to the timing of CRRT: the early group (before AKI was detected) or the control group (patients with AKI). Patients from the control group received an accelerated strategy or a standard strategy of CRRT. The primary outcome was all-cause intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. Patients were weighted by stabilized inverse probability of treatment weights (sIPTW) to overcome differences in baseline characteristics. After sIPTW analysis, the ICU mortality was significantly lower in the early group than the control group (27.7% vs. 63.5%, p < 0.001). Weighted multivariable analysis showed that early CRRT initiation was a protective factor for the risk of ICU mortality (OR 0.149; 95% CI 0.051-0.434; p < 0.001). The ICU mortality was not different between the accelerated- and standard-strategy group (52.5% vs. 52.9%, p = 0.970). Early CRRT in the absence of AKI is suggested for hemodynamically unstable patients with severe sepsis and septic shock combined with LV dysfunction since it benefits survival outcomes.