RESUMEN
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of the treatment of supplementing qi, nourishing yin, and promoting blood flow (SQNYPBF) on the serum levels of CRP, TNF-alpha, IL-1 and IL-6, as well as the expression of HLA-DR in the peripheral monocytes in septic patients suffering from stress-induced hyperglycemia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In the prospective randomized controlled study, eighty-five stress-induced hyperglycemia patients with sepsis were randomly assigned to the experimental group (45 cases) and the control group (40 cases). On the basis of routine therapies, including anti-infection, nutrition support, and the glucose control with insulin pump, patients in the experimental group additionally received the treatment of SQNYPBF (They were intravenously dripped with Shenmai Injection and Sulfotanshinone Sodium Injection, once daily, for 7 successive days). The serum levels of CRP, TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6 and the HLA-DR expression of the peripheral monocytes were detected using ELISA before treatment and on the 8th day of the treatment. The total dose and the duration of insulin used, the morbidity of hypoglycemia, the APACHE II scores, and the mortality within 28-day hospitalization were compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total dose of insulin used, the duration of insulin used, the morbidity of hypoglycemia, the APACHE II score on the 8th day of treatment, and the mortality within 28-day hospitalization significantly decreased in the experimental group, when compared with the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was no difference in the expression of HLA-DR, the serum levels of CRP, TNF-alpha, IL-1, or IL-6 before treatment between the two groups (P > 0.05). After treatment the serum levels of CRP, TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6 significantly decreased (P < 0.05) and the expression of HLA-DR significantly increased in the two groups (P < 0.05). Better effects were shown in the experimental group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SQNYPBF combined intensive insulin therapy could better improve the sepsis patients' immunity, decrease the plasma glucose level and duration, increase their survival rate, and improve their prognosis.</p>