High concentrations of circulating macrophage migration inhibitory factor in patients with severe blunt trauma: Is serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor concentration a valuable prognostic factor?

OBJECTIVE: To determine serum concentrations of macrophage migration inhibitory factor and other cytokines in severe blunt trauma patients in critical settings and to evaluate their association with patient outcome.
DESIGN: Prospective, observational study.
SETTING: Emergency department and surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital. PATIENTS: Fifty-four severe blunt trauma patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome requiring intensive care, emergency surgical intervention, or both were enrolled in the study. Forty-four patients with minor injuries were the controls.
INTERVENTIONS: Serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor concentrations were measured in the emergency department <4 hrs postinjury (day 1) and the surgical intensive care unit 24 hrs later (day 2). Blood samples for determination of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and interleukin-10 were measured both in patients with severe blunt trauma and in controls. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, Injury Severity Score, Revised Trauma Score, and Trauma Revised Injury Severity Score were used for clinical evaluation of trauma severity.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor concentrations were higher in severe blunt trauma patients than in controls; were significantly correlated with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, Revised Trauma Score, and Trauma Revised Injury Severity Score scores in severe blunt trauma patients but not in controls; and were higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors.
CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor concentration is higher in severe blunt trauma and that it reflects the severity of trauma. The serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor concentration might be a valuable predictor for the outcome of severe blunt trauma.