The clinical application of semi-quantitative IL-6 detection kit in a septic patient

Abstract

IL-6 is one of the major cytokines which increases in blood during the early phase of sepsis. The concentration of IL-6 is directly associated with the severity of sepsis and patient’s fatality. We measured the IL-6 concentration in a septic patient by IL-6 STICKELISA^® manufactured by TORAY. The patient was a 67-year-old woman brought to our department with the chief complaints of coma and she had milky white color bacteriuria. Her serum level of BUN was 116 mg/dL and that of Cr was 2.63 mg/dL. Her blood pressure was too low to measure, so we began a continuous intravenous infusion of noradrenaline and administered meropenem. We measured the concentration of IL-6 when the patient entered the ICU. It was higher than 5,000 pg/mL so we started CHDF. Twenty seven hours later, we measured the IL-6 concentration for a time and it was lower than 1,000 pg/mL. The patient was taken off CHDF and vasopressors on the fifth day and she was discharged on the six day. IL-6 STICKELISA^® is a semi-quantitative colorimetric analysis. It allows for the rapid detection of the IL-6 concentrations in patient samples and we were able to diagnose hypercytokinemia immediately. Thus, IL-6 STICKELISA^® is a useful tool for the measurement of IL-6 concentration, leading to the rapid initiation of therapeutic intervention.