Drotrecogin alfa (activated) may attenuate severe sepsis-associated encephalopathy in clinical septic shock

Introduction Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a diffuse cerebral dysfunction induced by the immuno-inflammatory response to infection. Elevated levels of the brain-specific S100B protein are present in many septic patients and reflect the severity of SAE. Adjunctive treatment with drotrecogin alfa (activated) (DrotAA), the human recombinant form of activated protein C, has been shown to improve mortality in patients with severe sepsis-induced organ failure. We studied the effect of DrotAA on S100B levels in patients with acute septic shock who presented with increased baseline values of this biomarker.