Aust Crit Care
-
Review Case Reports
The use of activated protein C (drotrecogin alfa (activated)) in the treatment of severe sepsis.
Advances in intensive care have allowed many critically ill patients to survive their initial insult. These patients may later demonstrate multiple organ dysfunction and failure, the genesis of which appears to be the body's reaction to critical illness, manifested by an imbalance and failure of inflammatory and immune system homeostasis. The manifestation of multiple organ dysfunction in the critically ill has been termed multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). ⋯ This new agent affects both the inflammatory and coagulation dimensions of severe sepsis. The developing concepts of the pathophysiology of sepsis and the emergence of a new therapy increases the complexity of the already complex demands of providing nursing care for the patient with severe sepsis and MODS. This article reviews pathophysiological processes in sepsis, reviews clinical data on activated protein C and illustrates the utility of this therapy in a case study.