Anti-lipopolysaccharide immunotherapy in management of septic shock of obstetric and gynaecological origin.

Freeze-dried human plasma rich in anti-lipopolysaccharide (anti-LPS) immunoglobulin G was used to treat septic shock (systolic pressure less than or equal to 80 mm Hg, central venous pressure greater than or equal to 6 cm H2O) in obstetric and gynaecological patients. Mortality in conventionally treated patients was 9/19 (47.4%) compared with 1/14 (7.1%) in anti-LPS-treated patients. Anti-LPS caused the mean arterial pressure to rise from 45.1 +/- 7.36 mm Hg to 69.1 +/- 9.07 mm Hg within 75 min of administration. The mean hospital stay of survivors was 28.1 days for controls and 14.2 days for the anti-LPS-treated patients. The development of complications of septic shock was much reduced in the treated group. Anti-LPS thus appears significantly to reduce mortality and morbidity in septicaemia.