Treatment of sepsis and septic shock: is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
OBJECTIVE
For years, the field of sepsis research was extremely active; the net result, however, was rather disappointing. Sepsis is still a major problem in intensive care units worldwide. Frustratingly, sepsis is characterized by a high morbidity and mortality. Although multiple (animal) studies with promising results have been published, the clinical situation has changed only a little. However, the recent 2 or 3 years of sepsis research brought significant results that will have a significant impact on clinical routine.


RESULTS
In the last 2 years, three big randomized controlled clinical trials were published on treatment of sepsis, each leading to a significant improvement in outcome: administration of activated protein C, administration of low dose corticosteroids, and maintenance of strict normoglycemia.


CONCLUSIONS
A breakthrough in sepsis research was long awaited. Recent clinical studies demonstrated that an improvement in outcome can be achieved even with simple means. This review focuses on these new therapeutic concepts, hopefully helping to transfer scientific advantages into everyday clinical routine.
Booke
Michael
M
Department of Anesthesiology, Kliniken des Main-Taunus-Kreises GmbH, Bad Soden am Taunus, Germany. mbooke@kliniken-mtk.de
Westphal
Martin
M