Severe sepsis is a complex and unpredictable clinical syndrome with mortality ranging from 28% to 50%.

The mortality increases with the degree of organ dysfunction.

Patients presenting with sepsis are a heterogeneous population varying in:

Age

Gender

Infecting organism

Comorbidities

Genetic background

Immune status, etc.

Although the severity of sepsis is related to the degree of organ dysfunction, progression is often unpredictable.

Although advances in molecular biology, immunology, and hemostasis have significantly contributed to our understanding of the nature of severe sepsis, there are many points that remain to be clarified concerning its etiology and pathogenesis.

Severe sepsis can be thought of as a triad of systemic inflammation, coagulation, and impaired fibrinolysis.

Angus DC, Linde-Zwirble WT, Lidicker J, et al. Incidence, cost, outcome of severe sepsis in the United States. Crit Care Med. 2001 (In Press).

Wheeler AP, Bernard GR. Treating patients with severe sepsis. N Engl J Med. 1999;340:207-14.

Zeni F, Freeman B, Nathanson C. Anti-inflammatory therapies to treat sepsis and septic shock: a reassessment. Crit Care Med. 1997;25:1095-100.