Fig. 1

Cytokine response after sepsis. Normal and abnormal immune response after an (infectious) insult (A). Recovery with regaining of the homeostatic balance occurs when pro-inflammatory (solid red line) and anti-inflammatory (solid blue line) mediators (B) return back to baseline levels. Early death or fulminant septic shock (C) can occur following early increased innate pro-inflammatory response (cytokine storm, dotted red line) or after initial adaptive immunosuppression (dashed blue line). Immunoparalysis (D) can occur following early increased adaptive anti-inflammatory response (immunosuppression, dotted blue line) or after initial pro-inflammatory response (dashed red line). Haemoadsorption with Cytosorb^® may attenuate the initial pro- (bold red line) and anti-inflammatory (bold blue line) response resulting in early recovery (E)