It looks like this is now being trialed in Houston. Apparently was approved for emergency use in April. I assume availability is quite low.
http://www.extheramedical.com/news-releases/2020/4/17/us-fda-grants-extheras-seraph-100-blood-filter-emergency-use-authorization-for-the-treatment-of-covid-19-after-promising-results-in-europe-and-the-usa
While on the surface it sounds like a wacky concept, the theory behind the technology is pretty interesting. This company has engineered a filter that mimics the bio receptors that pathogens are known to lock onto while leaving the rest of the blood system intact.
http://www.extheramedical.com/news-releases/2020/4/17/us-fda-grants-extheras-seraph-100-blood-filter-emergency-use-authorization-for-the-treatment-of-covid-19-after-promising-results-in-europe-and-the-usa
While on the surface it sounds like a wacky concept, the theory behind the technology is pretty interesting. This company has engineered a filter that mimics the bio receptors that pathogens are known to lock onto while leaving the rest of the blood system intact.
Quote:
In preclinical studies, ExThera's scientists have demonstrated that many toxins, inflammatory cytokines and a wide range of bacteria, viruses, toxins and disease-causing sepsis mediators are captured by Seraph when whole blood or serum is passed through the device. Notably, in vitrostudies have demonstrated that MRSA, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae (CRE), K. pneumoniae, E. coli (CRE), E. coli, S. pneumoniae, E. faecalis, E. faecalis (VRE), E. faecium, A. baumannii, S. epidermidis, Methicillin resistant S. epidermidis, S. pyogenes, and Serratia marcescens are bound to the Seraph hemofilter's adsorption media as blood passes over it. This allows the concentration of bacteria in the bloodstream to be reduced by up to 85 percent in just a single pass of infected blood. Subsequent recirculation of the blood through Seraph results in a 3 to 4 log reduction in the level of pathogen in the blood in just a few hours.