The overall concept: Immunoglobulins as adjuvants for mediastinitis - Doesit make sense?

Supportive intravenous immunoglobulin (ivIg) treatment may reduce the incid ence and severity of infections in a well-defined group of patients in inte nsive care, including those who have had cardiac surgery Sternal wound infe ctions and mediastinitis after cardiac surgery are to be investigated in th e ATMI study with Pentaglobin(R). In this article I focus on optimising ivI g dosage, on likely mechanisms, on reasons why ivIg might improve a primari ly Gram-positive infection, and on the use of serial scoring as an endpoint in a trial of immunoglobulin.