Immunological Screening and Immunotherapy in Critically Ill Patients with Abdominal Infections

ISBN-13: 9783540411482 / Angielski / Miękka / 2001 / 161 str.

Eugene Faist; Eugen Faist

Opis

Over two decades an abundance of knowledge has been accumulated focus ing on the understanding of the molecular and cellular pathomechanisms of stressful conditions like systemic inflammation and sepsis. We have learned that there is a clear correlation between the magnitude of the inciting traumatic event and the degree of inflammatory dysbalance. The immunoinflammatory disintegration comprises a simultaneous col lapse of the otherwise very smoothly balanced pro- and antiinflammatory vectors of cytokine regulation. Most recently, we understood that it is predominantly the dysregulation of antiinflammatory mediators that plays a pivotal role for the phenomenon of trauma-induced depression or paralysis of cell-mediated immune responses. The substantial intellectual and logistic investments of numerous investi gators towards understanding the biology of sepsis inevitably lead us towards a rewarding status in terms of reaching spheres of clinical relevance. From the evolutionary collection of a multitude of ex-vivo and in-vivo immuno mechanistic parameters, some were found to represent most significant bio logical markers to support the clinician to characterize better the severity of inflammatory illness and to predict outcome. Chapter one of this book, authored by G. Grass and E.A.M. Neugebauer, analyses elegantly our current knowledge on the assessment of the immuno logical status in terms of risk and prognosis of sepsis."

Spis treści

1 Risk and Prognosis of Sepsis — Current Methods on the Assessment of the Immunological Status.- 2 Markers of Inflammation for Prognosis and Control of Therapeutic Success in Patients with Abdominal Sepsis — Options for Using Adjuvant Intravenous Immunoglobulins.- 3 Microbiological Findings and Antiinfective Treatment Strategies.- 4 Intensive Care Management in Abdominal Surgical Patients with Septical Complications.- 5 The Doctor’s Dilemma: The Assessment of Successful Adjunctive Immunotherapy in Critically Ill Patients.

Blurb

This book is the realization of the idea to focus on the immune system and its complex activities as the target of diagnostic and individual therapeutical measures for patients hospitalized in surgical intensive care units. What must be done when the immune system is "ill" and life-threatening processes such as systemic inflammation, sepsis, and organ failure are induced? Todays intensive care management offers answers to this question based on the comprehensive scientific knowledge as well as the daily personal experience of the authors.