Maruchi Y, et al. - Researchers examined 55 patients with septic shock admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) of 35 Japanese hospitals to detect neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in the bloodstream of patients and to examine the correlations of circulating NET levels with organ dysfunction, disease severity, and mortality. They found accelerated NET formation in the early stages of sepsis, reflected by the elevated circulating myeloperoxidase-conjugated DNA (MPO-DNA) in septic shock patients. High MPO-DNA levels are linked with the severity of organ dysfunction and 28-day mortality due to septic shock, but not with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) score. A contribution of excessive NET formation to the pathogenesis of septic shock was suggested.