Sepsis strategies in development.

Area of Science:

• Critical care medicine
• Immunology
• Infectious diseases

Background:

• Severe sepsis, characterized by inflammation and organ failure from infection, has a ~30% mortality rate.
• Current treatments include antibiotics, source control, fluid resuscitation, organ support, and activated protein C.
• Bacterial mediators and inflammatory cytokines are key in sepsis pathogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current and emerging therapeutic strategies for severe sepsis.
• To highlight novel approaches targeting specific molecular pathways.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on severe sepsis management.
• Discussion of ongoing research into novel therapeutic agents and devices.
• Exploration of strategies targeting bacterial toxins, inflammation, coagulation, and apoptosis.

Main Results:

• Current therapies focus on antibiotics, source control, and organ support.
• Emerging strategies target endotoxins, superantigens, cytokines, complement, and coagulation.
• Investigational therapies include pluripotent molecules like interalpha inhibitor proteins.

Conclusions:

• Despite advances, severe sepsis remains a significant cause of mortality.
• Targeting specific pathogenic mechanisms offers promising new therapeutic avenues.
• Further research into novel molecules and devices is crucial for improving sepsis treatment.