RELEASE OF INTERLEUKIN-6 AND ACTIVATION OF COMPLEMENT DURING AND AFTER PEDIATRIC CARDIOPULMONARY BYPASS - EFFECT OF AUTOTRANSFUSION OF SHEDMEDIASTINAL BLOOD AND ULTRAFILTRATION

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and the complement activation products C3bc and t erminal complement complex (TCC) were measured in three groups of chil dren undergoing open heart surgery. One group was treated with intraop erative extracorporeal ultrafiltration and postoperative autotransfusi on of shed mediastinal blood, one group was subjected to autotransfusi on only and in one group none of these procedures were performed. No d ifferences between the groups were observed concerning the degree of c omplement activation, Peak and total accumulated level of IL-6 was sig nificantly higher in the group subjected to ultrafiltration and autotr ansfusion compared to the group treated conventionally with no interve ntions. IL-6 may be a sensitive marker of maneuvres increasing the inf lammatory load during and after open heart surgery in children. (C) 19 96 Academic Press Limited