Natural killer cell activity in patients with septic shock

Abstract

Natural killer cell activity (NKCA) was studied in a group of patients (n = 11) with septic shock. When compared with controls (n = 10), these individuals showed a statistically significant reduction in NKCA at each of the three different effector to target cell ratios examined (10:1, 0.6 ± 0.2 and 19.6 ± 6.0, P < .02; 20:1, 2.9 ± 1.0 and 31.0 ± 6.5, P < .005; 40:1, 9.5 ± 2.8 and 49.5 ± 5.5, P < .001, respectively). Most individual patients presented NKCA values below the range of the corresponding control group, suggesting that these findings represent a general phenomena that should be considered when treating patients with septic shock.