Elevation of serum pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) in patients with serious injury.

Pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) in serum was measured periodically in 15 patients with serious abdominal and non-abdominal injuries. From the second or third posttraumatic day, serum PSTI began to rise. Elevation of serum PSTI to more than twice the initial value was seen in 93% of the patients following serious injury. In uneventful cases, it declined and returned to the level at the time of admission within 14 days, but in the patients with serious inflammations and in the patient who died, it remained elevated. The change in the concentration of serum PSTI was significantly correlated with those of the acute phase reactants (fibrinogen and alpha 1-antitrypsin). There was no correlation between the level of serum PSTI and serum amylase activity or creatinine.