The extent of traumatic tissue damage leads to a graded depression of immunocyte function and appears to be amplified by surgical treatment. The endotoxin responsiveness of peripheral blood mononuclear cells displays a functional marker of the anatomically defined severity of injury and gives insights into the regulation of immunocyte function after severe blunt trauma.

No abstract

Major trauma leads to the appearance of a circulating inhibitory activity for TNF synthesis that may potentially contribute to an anti-inflammatory response in patients with multiple trauma. The elucidation of its structural and functional properties may contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of severely injured patients.