title: Increased endogenous carbon monoxide production in severe sepsis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A comparison was made between the endogenous carbon monoxide (CO) production in mechanically ventilated critically ill adult patients with, and those without, severe sepsis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective comparative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical ICU in a community hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four patients with severe sepsis of various etiologies and five control patients with varying diagnoses.
  
  
  METHODS
  CO concentration was determined with an infrared CO analyzer on exhaled breath collected at the outlet of the ventilator. Endogenous CO production was estimated by the lung CO excretion rate measured at steady state.
  
  
  RESULTS
  : Endogenous CO production was higher in the sepsis group during the first 3 days of treatment in comparison to the control group (10.9+/-5 (SD) microl/kg per h on day 1, 7.8+/-4.9 microl/kg per h on day 2 and 6.9+/-4.7 microl/kg per h on day 3 versus 2.1+/-0.5 microl/kg per h; p<0.01 for each comparison). Survivors of sepsis had a significantly higher endogenous CO production on day 1 compared to non-survivors (14.7+/-5.3 versus 8.5+/-3.3 microl/kg per h; p=0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endogenous CO production was significantly higher in mechanically ventilated patients suffering from severe sepsis. Further studies are required in order to determine the mechanism(s) and the functional significance of this increase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care, Louise Michel Hospital, Coucouronnes, France. rzegdi@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Rachid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zegdi
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Perrin
authors.forename: Michèle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burdin
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boiteau
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tenaillon
mesh_terms: D018806:APACHE; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001944:Breath Tests; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D002248:Carbon Monoxide