Articles: sepsis.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 1976
Comparative StudyThe effect of PEEP on oxygenating capacity in acute respiratory failure with sepsis.
We report an evaluation of the effect of postive-end-expiratory-pressure (PEEP) on improving pulmonary oxygenating capacity in the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), when the latter is associated with generalized gram-negative sepsis. Fifty-seven cases treated in our RICU with PEEP ventilation (April 1972 to January 1975) were retrospectively reviewed. Oxygenating capacity improvement was evaluated in terms of the changes in PaO2/FIO2 and AaDO2 (FIO2 = 1.0). ⋯ Overall mortality in the septic and nonseptic groups was 18/29 and 5/28, respectively. We conclude that ARDS with sepsis constitutes a more severe pulmonary insult than ARDS without sepsis, and/or that generalized sepsis creates a more prolonged pulmonary insult that makes it less amenable to PEEP. Thus, high levels of PEEP may be needed to treat ARDS associated with sepsis.
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Shock due to or associated with sepsis may present a clinical picture quite different from that usually seen in hypovolemic or cardiogenic shock. Any trend which suggests increasing sepsis should be treated aggressively as if shock were present. The earlier such therapy is begun, the better the results tend to be. Perhaps the greatest errors in the therapy of severe sepsis and septic shock are (1) delayed control of the primary septic process, (2) giving too little fluid in the early phases of therapy (and too much later), and (3) delaying ventilator assistance if the patient's ventilation or blood gases are deteriorating.
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Historical Article
A brief introduction to sepsis: its importance and some historical notes.