ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the criteria for answering the question whether the glycoprotein fibronectin can be considered as a mediator that is causally related to the induction or prevention of septic shock. In the literature, the term “fibronectin” (FN) first appeared in 1976, when this name was introduced for a number of proteins that had turned out to be identical. In the clinical studies, the authors used different methods to look for a possible correlation between the plasma FN level and the disease. Some investigators used maximal and minimal levels, some used initial values determined on admission of the septic patients. The analysis of the studies using FN for therapy against sepsis/septic shock led to the result that neither the incidence of sepsis nor mortality due to the disease were influenced by treatment. Among the clinical studies, all reports on FN and the”sepsis syndrome” were additionally included.
