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Multiple systems organ failure: epidemiology and prognosis
1George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Critical Care Clinics
|April 1, 1989
Summary
Multiple organ system failure (MSOF) is a severe condition with a high mortality rate, often representing a final common pathway to death. Standardized definitions and severity measurements are crucial for evaluating new MSOF therapies.
Area of Science:
- Critical Care Medicine
- Epidemiology
- Prognosis
Background:
- Multiple Organ System Failure (MSOF) is a critical condition characterized by severe physiological abnormalities.
- It arises subsequent to a diverse range of underlying diseases and etiologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the fundamental epidemiologic and prognostic data concerning MSOF.
- To highlight the need for standardized definitions and outcome measurements in MSOF research.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing epidemiologic and prognostic data for MSOF.
- Analysis of the defining characteristics and outcomes of MSOF across various etiologies.
Main Results:
- MSOF is characterized not by its cause, but by its consistently severe and often fatal outcome.
- The syndrome may represent a common terminal pathway in critical illness, irrespective of the initial disease.
Conclusions:
- Uniform definitions and explicit measurement of disease severity are essential for advancing MSOF research.
- Calculating individual probabilities of death will aid in evaluating the efficacy of novel therapeutic interventions for MSOF.