title: Assessment of Fibrinolysis in Sepsis Patients with Urokinase Modified Thromboelastography.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Impairment of fibrinolysis during sepsis is associated with worse outcome. Early identification of this condition could be of interest. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a modified point-of-care viscoelastic hemostatic assay can detect sepsis-induced impairment of fibrinolysis and to correlate impaired fibrinolysis with morbidity and mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  This single center observational prospective pilot study was performed in an adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a tertiary academic hospital. Forty consecutive patients admitted to the ICU with severe sepsis or septic shock were included. Forty healthy individuals served as controls. We modified conventional kaolin activated thromboelastography (TEG) adding urokinase to improve assessment of fibrinolysis in real time (UK-TEG). TEG, UK-TEG, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI), d-dimer, DIC scores and morbidity (rated with the SOFA score) were measured upon ICU admission. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of mortality at ICU discharge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  UK-TEG revealed a greater impairment of fibrinolysis in sepsis patients compared to healthy individuals confirmed by PAI-1. TAFI was not different between sepsis patients and healthy individuals. 18/40 sepsis patients had fibrinolysis impaired according to UK-TEG and showed higher SOFA score (8 (6-13) vs 5 (4-7), p = 0.03), higher mortality (39% vs 5%, p = 0.01) and greater markers of cellular damage (lactate levels, LDH and bilirubin). Mortality at ICU discharge was predicted by the degree of fibrinolysis impairment measured by UK-TEG Ly30 (%) parameter (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.93-0.98, p = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sepsis-induced impairment of fibrinolysis detected at UK-TEG was associated with increased markers of cellular damage, morbidity and mortality.
authors: Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Emergency, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors: Mauro
authors: M
authors: Panigada
authors: Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Emergency, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors: Lucia
authors: L
authors: Zacchetti
authors: Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Emergency, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors: Camilla
authors: C
authors: L'Acqua
authors: Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Emergency, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Cressoni
authors: A. Bianchi Bonomi Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors: Massimo Boscolo
authors: MB
authors: Anzoletti
authors: A. Bianchi Bonomi Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors: Rossella
authors: R
authors: Bader
authors: Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Emergency, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Protti
authors: Epidemiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors: Dario
authors: D
authors: Consonni
authors: Coagulation Service and Thrombosis Research Unit, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
authors: Armando
authors: A
authors: D'Angelo
authors: Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Emergency, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors: Luciano
authors: L
authors: Gattinoni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005342:Fibrinolysis; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007616:Kaolin; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013916:Thrombelastography / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007616:Kaolin