• M A Boermeester, P A van Leeuwen, S M Coyle, G J Wolbink, C E Hack, and S F Lowry.
• Department of Surgery, Free University Hospital, Amsterdam.
• Arch Surg Chicago. 1995 Jul 1;130(7):739-48.

ObjectiveTo define the influence of interleukin-1 activity on coagulation and fibrinolytic system activation and the release of proinflammatory mediators in the early human response to severe infection.Study DesignAll patients with severe sepsis syndrome who were enrolled from two surgical centers that were participating in a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled, multicenter, multinational trial of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in the treatment of sepsis syndrome.PopulationTwenty-six patients with sepsis syndrome received an intravenous loading dose of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (100 mg) or placebo followed by a continuous 72-hour infusion of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (1.0 [n = 9] or 2.0 [n = 8] mg/kg per hour) or placebo (n = 9).Outcome MeasureResponses up to 72 hours after initiation of treatment.ResultsPlasma levels of the anaphylatoxin C3a and thrombin-antithrombin III complexes were reduced in the high-dose recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist treatment group after 72 hours (P < .05). Similarly, parameters of fibrinolysis, tissue-type plasminogen activator, and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 but not plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complexes, were also significantly reduced (P < .05) after 72 hours of treatment with a high dose of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. Neutrophil elastase-alpha 1-antitrypsin complexes and phospholipase A2 levels were also significantly reduced in the high-dose recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist treatment group after 72 hours.ConclusionsThe results confirm that activation of the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems and release of soluble inflammatory mediators are consistently observed in patients with severe sepsis syndrome. Interleukin-1 activity contributes to activation of these processes as documented by the reduction in surrogate activation markers during recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist treatment.

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