Inflammatory cytokines and their receptors in arterial and mixed venous blood before, during and after infusion of drained untreated blood.

Wound blood for postoperative autologous transfusion is drained through an area of damaged tissue, the surgical wound, and contains inflammatory mediators. The inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1-beta (IL-1beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and their modulators interleukin-1-receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), interleukin 6 soluble receptor (IL-6sR), soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 (sTNF-R1) and interleukin 10 (IL-10), together with white cell count (WCC) and white cell differential count were measured in arterial and mixed venous blood before, during and after infusion of postoperatively drained untreated blood in nine patients operated for thoracic scoliosis. We found a transient increase in IL-6, an increase in TNF-RI, an increase in IL-8 with granulocytosis and a decrease in IL-10 in the systemic circulation. The increase in IL-6 was higher in mixed venous than in arterial blood.