Whole blood selective LDL-apheresis: a comparison of two different adsorbers.

The effects of LDL-apheresis with whole blood adsorption were compared in five patients with severe familial and ARH hypercholesterolemia, using two different sorbents, polyacrylic acid with the DALI system and dextran sulfate with the DX21 system. The patients were treated bimonthly with both systems at random. For each patient, the same number of procedures with both systems was considered, ranging from 2 to 11 for each technique. During a period of observation of 26 months, a total of 80 LDL-apheresis, 40 with the DALI system and 40 with the DX21, with equivalent volumes of treated whole blood was evaluated (mean blood volume treated: 8151 mL). Total and LDL cholesterol were effectively lowered with both techniques. The mean percentage reduction of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol respectively was 54.1+/-7.7% and 62.3+/-9% with the DALI system, 52.7+/-7.8% and 59.2+/-9.5 with the DX21: t-test for paired data showed p: 0.01 for LDL-cholesterol. The reduced removal of LDL-C with dextran sulfate, either within the same patient or all the patients taken together was of a very limited amount compared to polyacrylic acid. The superiority of one over the other sorbent cannot be affirmed: further studies on a higher number of procedures and patients, together with an evaluation of biocompatibility effects, compared to polyacrylic acid may clarify and make evident a significant difference in efficacy between the two systems.