An acute depletion of plasma fibronectin or FN has been observed in critically ill, surgical, or trauma patients, but there is little information on the relationships between FN levels and the final outcome in such cases, and on the simultaneous behaviour of other serum proteins. The daily values of FN, antithrombin III, IgG, C3, prealbumin, and transferrin were monitored in 98 intensive care patients after major elective surgery or trauma. According to their clinical course, they were divided retrospectively into three groups. Group A (33 patients) had sepsis. Group B (31 patients) had nonseptic complications, and group C (34 patients) had no complications in the ICU. The individual, nadir levels of FN, AT III, prealbumin, and transferrin were lower (p less than 0.01) in the septic group A than in B and C. Within the septic group, the nadir levels of AT III, but not those of FN, were lower (p less than 0.01) in the 14 nonsurvivors than in the 19 survivors. The FN and AT III levels had returned at least temporarily to the normal range in the six ultimate fatalities from sepsis who survived for more than two weeks. In the septic group, transferrin showed the highest percentages of actually subnormal levels and differed from FN in this respect with p less than 0.05. Furthermore, all six proteins showed a significant overall pattern (p less than 0.01) of parallel variations. The results confirm other reports on the behavior of fibronectin in septic patients as a group, but it was not informative as to the individual outcome, and its reduction might be viewed as part of a general plasma protein depletion associated with acute septic disease. This pattern is probably attributable to a combination of intravascular consumption and an overall excess of protein catabolism over synthesis.

We simulated the use of massive volumes of crystalloid fluids as a treatment of acute plasma loss in a standardized experimental model and studied the factors determining the retention or excretion of the resulting acute hypoproteinemic fluid overload, its distribution within the body, and its treatment with concentrated albumin and diuretics. In accordance with the classic Starling concept, the serum protein level, i.e. the serum colloid osmotic pressure, determined the excretion/retention ratio of a given water and sodium load. Of the total fluid retention, fat and muscle each accommodated 25%, whereas the skin, which contributes only 7% to the total body weight, accounted for 37% and increased its volume by roughly one third. Concentrated albumin promoted fluid excretion in direct proportion to the achieved increment of the serum protein level and abolished the edema of fat, muscle and skin. Furosemide was virtually ineffective. The implications of these results for the 'adult respiratory distress syndrome' and disturbed wound healing are discussed and related to the concept of a critical threshold of the serum protein level.

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