Impact of Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) on the Inflammatory Response in Blood of Septic Patients (HFIP Ex-vivo Study). A Feasibility, Proof of Principle Project.

Sepsis, a multi organ failure caused by infectious diseases, is a major health burden with an average mortality rate of 26%. Cells of the innate immune system of hosts recognize specific patterns of pathogenic bacteria and trigger an inflammatory response. In case of sepsis, this inflammatory response takes a deregulated course, expressing an overwhelming amount of pro-inflammatory cytokines leading to a loosening of endothelial tight junctions, evasion of intravasal fluids and proteins into the interstitium, as well as direct tissue damage throughout an overproduction of reactive oxygen species by neutrophils. These pathological changes of the host's proper immune system lead to a multi organ failure, which characterize a clinical pathomechanism of sepsis. Several studies confirmed an immunomodulatory effect of sevoflurane's primary metabolite hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) attenuating pro-inflammatory cytokine expression with a consecutive improvement of organ function and survival in rodent models of sepsis. Until now, there are no data available confirming this effect in septic patients as well. With this study, the direct impact of sevoflurane's primary metabolite HFIP on cytokine expression in the blood of septic patients will be investigated for the first time.