The immune response is a highly specific reaction carried out by means of specialized cells that belong to the immune system. There are two types of immune response mechanisms aimed towards pathogens: non-specific, innate reactions, and specific, acquired reactions. Acquired immunity, characterized by its specificity, is comprised of lymphocytes, including both T cell and B cell populations. The role of B lymphocytes is not limited to the humoral response, though the cellular immune response is carried out mainly by various T lymphocyte subpopulations. The reactions of the humoral and cellular responses complement and stimulate one another mutually - cytokines are their common linking element. The attachment of cytokines to their specific receptors activates a sequence of signals - either intracellular or between the cells of various systems. This organization of respective connections and reactions, including the functional relations between cells of the immune response, in its complexity, is best described as a cytokine network. The response of the immune system to surgical trauma can be looked at from both a local and a general perspective. Not only surgical trauma caused by tissue damage, however, influences the functioning of the immune system, but also the drugs and techniques used during anesthesia. Our article is a presentation of the effects of medications used in anesthesia with respect to their influence on the cytokine network.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a clinical immune-mediated syndrome; symptoms of HIT result from the development of arterial and venous thrombosis and are correlated with the severity of the thrombocytopenia. In all patients receiving heparin preparations in intensive care units, platelet counts should be monitored every 2−3 days throughout therapy, particularly during days 4−14 when HIT is most likely to develop. The major screening tests should always involve a clinical assessment of HIT probability (4Ts or HEP scoring systems) and enzymatic immunoassays (IgG antibodies) for patients with a moderate to high risk of HIT. The full possibilities of such advanced diagnostic procedures are limited in Poland because functional tests are still not widely available. If the diagnosis is questionable, all heparin preparations should be withdrawn and an alternative method of anticoagulation instituted until HIT has been conclusively excluded. The use of new-generation anticoagulants (direct thrombin or Xa factor inhibitors) is currently considered the treatment of choice. Old-generation anticoagulants should not be administered (vitamin K antagonists) as they can aggravate thrombosis. If administered, their action should be reversed by vitamin K once HIT is confirmed. Antithrombotic therapy with "new" anticoagulants should be carried out at least until platelet counts return to the baseline values; the recommended duration of therapy is 4 weeks in patients with isolated thrombocytopenia or 4 months in those with thrombotic complications. Vitamin K antagonists should not be applied until the normal platelet count is restored (usually > 150 G L -1 ). When the therapy with vitamin K antagonists is reintroduced, "old" antagonists should be administered simultaneously with a "new" anticoagulant for at least 5 days due to an initial decrease in protein C concentration concentration, provided that the therapeutic value of INR is maintained (> 2) for at least 2 days.

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Patients with portal hypertension can deliver at term. It is a high-risk pregnancy. In this group it is desirable to shorten the second stage of labor or complete it by c-section under general anesthesia with remifentanyl which allows getting desired analgesia without complications in the newborn. Surveillance of pregnant with portal hypertension must include monitoring of liver function and coagulation disorders.

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