Proceedings Of The 6th World Congress On Trauma Shock Inflammation And Sepsis Pathophysiology Immune Consequences And Therapy

Sepsis and infection are the major enemies of the intensive care patient in whom immunological defenses are severely impaired. This major problem is thefocus of attention in this book, based on the presentation of the First International Congress on the Immune Consequences of Trauma, Shock, and Sepsis, which is one of the first attempts to exchange ideas on the state-of-the-art in this area of immunology. Both basic and clinical research, including new centres of attention, are described. The growing role of immunology in medicine opens new avenues to the under- standing of trauma and sepsis and will allow the design of novel therapeutic approaches.

One hundred years ago a series of seminal documents, starting with the Flexner Report of 1910, sparked an enormous burst of energy to harness the power of science to transform higher education in health. Professional education, however, has not been able to keep pace with the challenges of the 21st century. A new generation of reforms is needed to meet the demands of health systems in an interdependent world. The report of the Commission on the Education of Health Professionals for the 21st Century, a global independent initiative consisting of 20 leaders from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and institutional affiliations, articulates a fresh vision and recommends renewed actions. Building on a rich legacy of educational reforms during the past century, the Commission's findings and recommendations adopt a global and multi-professional perspective using a systems approach to analyze education and health, with a focus on institutional and instructional reforms.

This book is designed to offer the reader first-rate guidance on shock management in the real world. Comprehensive, evidence-based, and up-to-date instruction is provided on optimal care of patients with different types of shock – septic, hemorrhagic, cardiogenic, anaphylactic, and obstructive – at all stages from initial response through to ICU admission. As well as management, the coverage encompasses pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and emerging trends. A further key feature is the use of a scenario-based approach to present a series of cases based on real-life experiences. Here, a narrative style and Q&A form are employed to vividly convey scenarios that may be encountered in clinical practice and to elucidate decision making in complex circumstances. When readers experience difficulty in answering the questions, the earlier sections can be consulted to identify the correct response. This book will be of great value for all health care professionals. In particular, it will be very helpful for novice or inexperienced practitioners in emergency medicine, critical care medicine, and traumatology.

Shock is a physiological state of war! From a healthcare provider perspective, the word “shock” is associated with a mixed array of feelings, including dread, well-founded fear, and deep respect. The physiological state of shock is well recognized for the associated destructive consequences, and its successful management requires prompt identification, immediate action, and sustained effort by all members of the healthcare team. This mindset of advanced preparation and constant readiness constitutes the foundation of the modern approach toward shock – early detection and prompt treatment for optimal outcomes. Despite the heterogeneity of “shock” as a clinico-pathological entity, there are some common threads that permeate all forms and manifestations of shock, with apparent increase in observed commonalities in the more advanced (and often irreversible) stages of the systemic syndrome. When faced with shock, the body and its systems do their best to compensate for the maldistribution of oxygen and nutrients. This is known as the so-called compensated shock. Beyond that, the body loses its ability to adjust any further, thus descending into “uncompensated shock,” with a refractory state characterized by vasoplegia and irreversible cardiovascular failure. As the reader journeys through the chapters of the book, he or she will read about various biomarkers and endpoints of resuscitation, explore different types of shock (e.g., septic, hemorrhagic, anaphylactic) and learn about some of the less often discussed topics such as neurogenic and spinal shock, as well as the amniotic fluid embolism. Our goals were to keep things clinically relevant and practically oriented, thus enabling the reader to apply the newly acquired knowledge in their everyday clinical routines. As the reader progresses through the book, we hope to help stimulate further discourse and innovative thinking about the topic. In this context, it is critical that basic, translational, and clinical research on shock continues to advance. Only through ongoing scientific progress can we help improve outcomes for patients with both rare and common forms of shock.

The incidence of sepsis is increasing as new medical and surgical technologies are applied to an increasingly aging patient population. The treatment of sepsis emphasizes strategies to avoid multiple organ dysfunction, with particular attention to establishing source control, and then modifies the host's response to the excessive inflammatory response which characterizes sepsis. This book is a comprehensive review by internationally recognized experts of the epidemiology, monitoring and treatment of sepsis. Using an "evidence-based" approach, it comprises an extensive review of the literature on sepsis, provides up-to-date recommendations for monitoring and treating sepsis patients, and concludes with explicit recommendations for the design and monitoring of future clinical trials.

This practically oriented book provides an up-to-date overview of all significant aspects of the pathogenesis of sepsis and its management, including within the intensive care unit. Readers will find information on the involvement of the coagulation and endocrine systems during sepsis and on the use of biomarkers to diagnose sepsis and allow early intervention. International clinical practice guidelines for the management of sepsis are presented, and individual chapters focus on aspects such as fluid resuscitation, vasopressor therapy, response to multiorgan failure, antimicrobial therapy, and adjunctive immunotherapy. The closing section looks forward to the coming decade, discussing novel trial designs, sepsis in low- and middle-income countries, and emerging management approaches. The book is internatio nal in scope, with contributions from leading experts worldwide. It will be of value to residents and professionals/practitioners in the fields of infectious diseases and internal medicine, as well as to GPs and medical students.