Background/aims: Sepsis and multiple organ failure are common complications in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality.
Methods: We reviewed pertinent medical literature related to sepsis and multiple organ failure to determine strategies of classification, the current incidence, and the outcomes associated with these disease processes.
Results: Sepsis affects some 40% of ICU admissions, severe sepsis occurs in about 30%, and septic shock in 15%. Recent consensus has improved the definition of sepsis and proposed a new classification system based on predisposing factors, infection, immune response, and organ dysfunction. We discuss the possible components of each of these four categories.
Conclusion: Although there is some evidence that mortality rates may have decreased in recent years, the incidence of sepsis is increasing so that overall deaths from this disease are increasing. Improved diagnostic techniques and classification may help target therapies more rapidly and more appropriately.