Activated partial thromboplastin time waveform analysis as specific sepsis marker in cardiopulmonary bypass surgery

Abstract

Throughout the last years, several new diagnostic biomarkers have been introduced into clinical routine to identify a systemic infl ammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or a septic state and to discriminate between these two entities. According to studies in selected patients, measurement of these biomarkers may be advantageous under certain clinical conditions. On an individual basis, however, these sepsis markers usually lack an adequate negative or positive predictive power. Therefore, physicians in charge still have to rely on a combination of personal experience and results from clinical or laboratory tests when deciding on a patient's therapy. For surgical patients, a key problem consists of the time delay which is associated with the diagnosis of serious postoperative infections and which may negatively aff ect outcome. It is in this context where the activated partial thromboplastin time waveform analysis may represent a promising new method to discriminate between SIRS and sepsis, thereby shortening the time to therapy. Nevertheless, studies involving large patient populations will be necessary to prove the effi cacy of this new diagnostic concept either as a single tool or in cobination with the measurement of other biomarkers. © 2010 BioMed Central Ltd.