Letter

Circulating fatty acid binding protein as a marker of intestinal failure in septic patients

Marcel C César Machado, Hermes V Barbeiro, Fabiano Pinheiro da Silva* and Heraldo P de Souza

Author Affiliations

Sao Paulo University School of Medicine, Laboratory of Clinical Emergencies (LIM/51), Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 455 room 3189, CEP: 01246903, Sao Paulo - SP, Brazil

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Critical Care 2012, 16:455 doi:10.1186/cc11653

Published: 5 November 2012

First paragraph (this article has no abstract)

Intestinal hypoperfusion in sepsis may result in loss of gut barrier and bacterial translocation, further complicating the already severe septic state. Intestinal dysfunction in critically ill patients is underestimated and may be associated with worse prognosis. The absence of a valid marker of intestinal dysfunction in sepsis makes it difficult to include this parameter in a patient's clinical evaluation. We describe intestinal fatty acid-binding protein as a marker of intestinal failure in septic shock.