Shock : molecular, cellular, and systemic pathobiological aspects and therapeutic approaches : the official journal the Shock Society, the European Shock Society, the Brazilian Shock Society, the International Federation of Shock Societies
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Review
Sepsis research in the next millennium: concentrate on the software rather than the hardware.
Today the basic principles of septic conditions are understood. Nevertheless, sepsis research has reached a critical point. To integrate our knowledge towards a consistent theory of the disease process and to derive effective therapies, new perspectives for future research that fit the complexity of the problem have to be found. ⋯ We conclude that sepsis research needs new perspectives that allow us to handle the complex interactions occurring during the disease process. We propose to focus research on the interactions between the constituents of the system rather than only describing isolated aspects of the disease process. We also conclude that the ideas and techniques of non-linear systems theory are suitable tools for the analysis of complex and dynamic diseases like SIRS and sepsis.