Update in sepsis and acute kidney injury 2014

Sepsis and acute kidney injury (AKI) represent an important burden in intensive care unit clinical practices. The Journal published important contributions in sepsis for novel therapeutic approaches suggesting that combined molecular targets (e.g., dual inhibition of IL-1β and IL-18, and coadministration of endothelial progenitor cells and stromal cell-derived factor-1α analog) could perform better. The clinical effectiveness of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D was reported in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Although its experimental properties appeared favorable in the pro- and antiinflammatory cytokine balance, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D failed to improve survival. Strategies for decreasing antimicrobial resistances are of particular importance. Effective (aerosolized antibiotics for ventilator-associated pneumonia) and ineffective (procalcitonin algorithm for antibiotic deescalation) approaches were published. In 2014, several publications raised an important point shared by survivors from sepsis and/or AKI. The increased number of survivors over time brought out long-term sequelae, leading to a poor outcome after hospital discharge. Among them, cardiovascular events and chronic kidney disease may explain the significant increase in the risk of death, which can persist up to 10 years and significantly increases the use of health care. Postdischarge survival represents a new target for future research in sepsis and AKI to find how we can prevent and manage long-term sequelae. A milestone of the year was the Ebola outbreak. The Journal contributed to our better understanding of Ebola virus disease with a paper underlying the crucial role of a large implementation of pragmatic supportive care, including fluid infusion and correction of metabolic abnormalities, to save more lives.