Elevated methemoglobin in patients with sepsis.
BACKGROUND
It has been reported that large amounts of nitric oxide (NO) are released in patients with sepsis. NO is converted to methemoglobin and nitrate. This study was designed to determine whether blood methemoglobin levels were increased in patients with sepsis or septic shock.


METHODS
Forty-five critically ill patients including 8 with sepsis but without shock, 6 with septic shock and 31 non-septic patients were enrolled in the study. For septic and septic shock patients, blood methemoglobin concentrations were measured during sepsis or septic shock and at the time of recovery or just before the onset of sepsis. For the remaining non-septic patients, methemoglobin concentrations were measured at ICU admission and discharge.


RESULTS
Blood methemoglobin levels in the presence of sepsis or septic shock were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those in non-septic patients and those at recovery or just before the onset of sepsis in both septic and septic shock patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Blood methemoglobin concentration may be useful as a marker of the onset of sepsis or septic shock.
Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Japan.
K
K
Ohashi
H
H
Yukioka
M
M
Hayashi
A
A
Asada
D018806:APACHE; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008708:Methemoglobinemia / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000097:blood