Postoperative hemostatic profile in relation to gram-negative septicemia

Gram-negative septicemia presents a particular problem in the ICU. Septicemia is usually diagnosed by fever, chills, and shock. Results of blood cultures become available a few days later. Major surgery induced a marked decline in antithrombin III (AT III) and plasminogen (PLG) to a mean level of 0.60 U/ml (normal value: 0.80-1.40 U/ml) on the 2nd and 3rd postoperative days. Around the 5th postop day, these values again attained mean preoperative levels. Seventy-six surgical ICU patients were investigated preoperatively and for 10 days postoperatively to relate postop septicemia to changes in the hemostatic profile. In 15 patients with gram-negative septicemia verified by positive culture, AT III and PLG barely recovered from the postop decrease and remained significantly lower (p less than 0.05) after the 3rd postop day, compared to 61 surgical ICU patients without septicemia. The behavior of alpha 2antiplasmin (alpha 2AP) values was equal in both groups. This difference in hemostatic profile preceded the clinical manifestations of septicemia and the results of blood culture by several days. Leucocyte or platelet counts provided no reliable information on the early development of septicemia in these surgical patients. It is concluded that persistent low plasma AT III and PLG levels in the postop phase are early indicators of a developing gram-negative septicemia.