Cytokine Patterns in Patients After Major Vascular Surgery, Hemorrhagic Shock, and Severe Blunt Trauma Relation with Subsequent Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Multiple Organ Failure

In the early postinjury phase, higher concentrations of these cytokines are associated, not only with an increased mortality rate, but also with an increased risk for subsequent ARDS and MOF. These data therefore support the concept that these syndromes are caused by an overwhelming autodestructive inflammatory response.