Amino acid imbalance early in septic encephalopathy
- 8 February 2002
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Nature in Intensive Care Medicine
- Vol. 28 (3) , 293-298
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-002-1217-6
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate plasma amino acid concentrations and markers of inflammation in the early stage and the course of septic encephalopathy. Design: Prospective, case series of patients with well-defined septic encephalopathy. Setting: Surgical department and intensive care unit of a university hospital. Patients: Seventeen patients with sepsis according to the ACCP/SCCM consensus conference criteria and encephalopathy based on neuropsychological tests, compared to a control group undergoing uncomplicated thoracic surgery. Interventions: None. Measurements and results: SOFA score, blood samples for plasma amino acids, procalcitonin and interleukin-6. Sepsis was determined to be the cause of encephalopathy in 14 of the 17 patients. Six patients developed septic shock, four died within the study period of 28 days. Within 12 h of the onset of septic encephalopathy, mean values of PCT and IL-6 were elevated (ppConclusions: Metabolic disturbances with changes in amino acid levels can occur early in septic patients, without serious liver abnormalities. The present data suggest a possible role of amino acids in the pathogenesis of septic encephalopathy.Keywords
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