CytoSorb haemoadsorption for removal of apixaban—A proof‐of‐concept pilot case for a randomized controlled trial

Emergent cardiac surgery in patients under anticoagulant therapy is still a major point of concern. Recently approved reversal agents are often not available or not suitable in the cardiac surgery setting, and timely discontinuation of the drug is not always feasible. CytoSorb® haemoadsorption therapy has been approved in Europe for intraoperative ticagrelor and rivaroxaban removal during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), but thus far the efficacy of CytoSorb® haemoadsorber on other anticoagulants (apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban) has only been tested in vitro, and some signals of clinical benefits have reported in a few case reports.We describe a case of CPB implementation with CytoSorb® in a haemodynamic unstable patient with prosthetic aortic valve endocarditis on apixaban therapy.CytoSorb® proved to be effective for removal of apixaban in emergency surgery setting by direct measurements of drug levels before and during CPB circulation.