Fibronectin was given in the form of cryoprecipitate of human plasma to patients with severe surgical sepsis in a double blind, prospective and randomized clinical study. Of the 19 patients assigned to the control group receiving no fibronectin, only eight (42 per cent) survived. Of the 12 patients given the cryoprecipitate, nine survived (75 per cent) (p less than 0.05).
In the control group, initial serum fibronectin levels were depressed to 121 micrograms per milliliter (normal = 313). The mean values in the blank plasma controls did not increase after 24 hours, with a mean of 122. In contrast, the group treated with cryoprecipitate increased serum fibronectin values after 24 hours to 216 micrograms per milliliter, up from initial values of 161 micrograms per milliliters. Improvements in pulmonary function, serum bilirubin and serum creatinine values were also noted, but the changes fell short of statistical significance. Fibronectin appears to benefit patients in severe surgical sepsis in this study of a relatively small number of patients.
