DrotAA did not significantly reduce mortality at 28 or 90 days, as compared with placebo, in patients with septic shock. (Funded by Eli Lilly; PROWESS-SHOCK ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00604214.).
Three different types of postoperative mediastinitis can be distinguished: (1) mediastinitis associated with obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and sternal dehiscence, typically caused by coagulase negative staphylococci; (2) mediastinitis following peroperative contamination of the mediastinal space, often caused by S. aureus, and (3) mediastinitis mainly caused by spread from concomitant infections in other sites during the postoperative period, often caused by gram negative rods. The proposed classification of mediastinitis into three groups with different pathogenic mechanisms may be useful in understanding which prophylactic counter measures have the potentials to be effective in a given situation.
Thirteen patients (median age, 20 years) with life-threatening primary septic shock (10 meningococcal, 3 pneumococcal infections) were studied prospectively. All had a short history of sepsis (< or = 24 h) and no severe underlying disease. Two (15%) died. The logarithm of the initial plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, IL-1 receptor antagonist (ra), and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 correlated significantly with APACHE II scores (r2 = .67, .57, .68, .81, and .68, respectively). The plasma levels of endotoxin, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and PAI-1 decreased toward normal levels within the first 24 h of treatment, but IL-6 and IL-1ra levels remained high until clinical recovery. On admission, the molar excess of IL-1ra to IL-1 beta was > 2000-fold in 11 of the 13 patients. Acute plasmapheresis in 11 of the 13 patients significantly increased the plasma clearance of TNF-alpha (P = .02).
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