Plasma proinflammatory cytokine concentrations, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) III scores and survival in patients in an intensive care unit

Abstract

Plasma cytokine concentrations fluctuate in serious illness and have a poor correlation with derangement of whole body physiology in seriously ill patients. Only the presence of bioactive TNF in plasma was an independent predictor of mortality. Daily measurement of plasma proinflammatory cytokine concentrations is unlikely to have clinical application in the ICU setting, except possibly in specific subgroups of patients.