Immunologic monitoring of infection risk in trauma patients: research questions and an approach to the problem.

Sepsis due to injury-related immunosuppression is generally accepted to be the leading cause of morbidity and mortality following trauma. A clear relationship between the amount of burn injury and immunosuppression can be demonstrated, but quantitative relationships between the actual amount of blunt or penetrating injury, a "state" of immunosuppression, and the subsequent development of sepsis has not been clearly established. We have studied and attempted to characterize multiply traumatized patients to identify which components or immune parameters suggest the opportunity to predict sepsis. This report briefly reviews the literature in this area and summarizes current work from our laboratory attempting to identify potential markers.