Novel Device Reverses Septic Shock in a Critically Ill Child

A young child facing septic shock and failure of five organ systems was saved by a first-of-its-kind therapeutic device developed at Michigan Medicine. The child, a leukemia patient with a prior kidney transplant, arrived at the emergency room with a fever, jaundice, and dangerously low blood counts. Already immunocompromised from chemotherapy and triple immunosuppressive therapy, the child’s condition deteriorated rapidly. Diagnosed with septic shock and multiorgan failure, the prognosis was grim—doctors estimated a 5% chance of survival.

With conventional treatments offering little hope, the medical team turned to a device that had been in development for over two decades: the selective cytopheretic device (SCD). Co-developed by Dr. David Humes of Michigan Medicine and Dr. Stuart Goldstein of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, the SCD is designed to modulate the immune system by filtering the patient’s blood through an external circuit. As blood flows through the device, it temporarily alters the behavior of white blood cells, calming the hyperinflammatory response that drives organ damage in sepsis.

The decision to use the device was not taken lightly. At the time, the SCD had not been approved by the FDA for this specific scenario, and the child’s extremely low white blood cell count posed a serious risk. There was concern that further suppressing immune activity could worsen the infection. But with no viable alternatives, the team sought emergency approval and moved forward with what they called a “Hail Mary” intervention.

The results were nothing short of extraordinary. Within days of initiating treatment with the SCD, the child’s organ function began to rebound. Liver and kidney markers improved, blood counts stabilized, and the patient was gradually weaned off mechanical ventilation and dialysis. After 38 days in intensive care, the child was transferred to a general hospital ward—and eventually discharged home, cancer-free and off dialysis.

This case marks the first time the SCD has been used in such a critically ill pediatric patient, and its success has sparked interest across the medical community. The device, now FDA-approved for certain uses, represents a new frontier in extracorporeal immune modulation. Rather than targeting pathogens directly, it addresses the body’s overreaction to infection—a strategy that could be transformative for sepsis, COVID-19, and other inflammatory conditions.

What makes the SCD particularly compelling is its ability to intervene without introducing drugs or altering the patient’s immune system permanently. By gently nudging white blood cells into a less reactive state, it buys time for the body to heal without the collateral damage often seen with immunosuppressive therapies. It’s a precision tool for a problem that has long defied precision.

The implications extend far beyond this single case. Sepsis remains one of the leading causes of death in intensive care units worldwide, and pediatric patients are especially vulnerable. The success of the SCD in this scenario opens the door to broader clinical trials and potential adoption in pediatric ICUs across the country. It also underscores the importance of translational research—of investing in technologies that may take decades to mature but can ultimately save lives when it matters most.