New Insights in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Sepsis and Septic Shock: From Prevention to Multiorgan Failure

Dear Colleagues,

Despite advances in critical care medicine, sepsis remains one of the most common causes of death in the intensive care unit. Sepsis is a condition characterized by elevated systemic levels of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and an initial phase of excessive inflammation is followed by a state of immunosuppression. Viral, fungal or bacterial infections can trigger the cytokine storm that leads to this devastating systemic syndrome. As many other pathological conditions can imitate sepsis, diagnosis is often delayed. Moreover, current biomarkers are nonspecific and are influenced by other underlying conditions, like liver cirrhosis or rheumatological diseases.

Regarding the treatment of sepsis, current guidelines recommend fluid resuscitation and early administration of antibiotics. While some attempts have been made to target the cytokine storm, current results are rather discouraging.

This Special Issue aims to deal with cutting-edge research regarding diagnosis, new pathophysiological discoveries or treatment of critically ill patients with sepsis or septic shock. Precise biomarkers for diagnosis, prediction or prognosis could shed light on our understanding of the pathophysiology of this syndrome. Furthermore, advancements in point-of-care diagnostics could lead to timely recognition of sepsis, improve treatment, risk stratification, decipher sepsis phenotypes and monitor treatment response. Deeper insights into the cytokine storm may enrich our knowledge of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to this devastating condition.

Papers addressing prevention, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment regarding all types of infections that can lead to sepsis are welcome as well.

Dr. Vlad Pavel
Dr. Patricia Mester
Guest Editor Assistants

Dr. Stephan Schmid
Guest Editor

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