The Septic Heart: Current Understanding of Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Implications

Septic cardiomyopathy is a key feature of sepsis-associated cardiovascular failure. Despite the lack of consistent diagnostic criteria, patients typically exhibit ventricular dilatation, reduced ventricular contractility, and/or both right and left ventricular dysfunction with a reduced response to volume infusion. Although there is solid evidence that the presence of septic cardiomyopathy is a relevant contributor to organ dysfunction and an important factor in the already complicated therapeutic management of patients with sepsis, there are still several questions to be asked: Which factors/mechanisms cause a cardiac dysfunction associated with sepsis? How do we diagnose septic cardiomyopathy? How do we treat septic cardiomyopathy? How does septic cardiomyopathy influence the long-term outcome of the patient? Each of these questions is interrelated, and the answers require a profound understanding of the underlying pathophysiology that involves a complex mix of systemic factors and molecular, metabolic, and structural changes of the cardiomyocyte. The afterload-related cardiac performance, together with speckle-tracking echocardiography, could provide methods to improve the diagnostic accuracy and guide therapeutic strategies in patients with septic cardiomyopathy. Because there are no specific/causal therapeutics for the treatment of septic cardiomyopathy, the current guidelines for the treatment of septic shock represent the cornerstone of septic cardiomyopathy therapy. This review provides an up-to-date overview of the current understanding of the pathophysiology, summarizes the evidence of currently available diagnostic tools and treatment options, and highlights the importance of further urgently needed studies aimed at improving diagnosis and investigating novel therapeutic targets for septic cardiomyopathy.