Shock Sepsis And Organ Failure

In this book current knowledge of the pathophysiology of shock, sepsis and multi organ failure is presented. The rapid progress which has been made and the results achieved in intensive care medicine are based on sound basic research, which is duly reflected in these chapters. Multiorgan failure is the foremost cause of postoperative and posttraumatic death and many complex mechanisms are involved. Only with a good foundation of basic research can abnormalities in the physiological, biochemical, and morphological course of shock be recognized and the necessary conclusions for treatment drawn. Therapy must proceed from profound knowledge of the multi variant physiological events in order to influence shock, sepsis and organ failure. Although numerous possibilities for therapy have arisen from pharmaceutical research in recent years, they are beyond the scope of this book and are not discussed here. To gain a better understanding of the pathophysiological events it was necessary to examine and to describe different models that simulate and reproduce these events. Here we describe the causative agents (shock) and the consequences (sepsis, organ failure) in two main sections, divided on the basis of their pathophysiology.

The First Wiggers Bernard Conference on Shock, Sepsis, and Organ Failure was envisaged as a meeting of American and European Scientists. It was named after two researchers, one from the "Old" and one from the "New World", who are wellknown for their outstanding achievements in shock research and experimental medicine. This meeting was a point of de parture for a series of workshops that will focus on two to three main topics dealt with in detail by experts in their respective fields. The First Wiggers Bernard Conference addressed three main questions: 1. Multi-organ-failure - is it a sequence of organ failures or a systemic disease? 2. Cellular events in trauma and sepsis - are they due to suppression, activation or both? 3. Mediators of organ failure - are LPS or sepsis necessary? Although many answers were given in this first session, numerous issues remain to be clarified due to the enormous complexity of the subject. How ever, the stage was set for encounters between clinicians and basic medical researchers, since theoretical knowledge will be useful to the clinician ex ploring new approaches to diagnosis, prophylaxis, and therapy. The conference could not have been organized without the generous sup port of the Immuno Company, Vienna, Austria. May we express our special thanks to Dr. Eibl, managing director and head of the research division of Immuno AG, not only for granting financial support but also for his valuable advice, encouragement, and scientific expertise.

Chronicles the exploits of the mountain men who opened many trails and passages through the American West in the early nineteenth century.

At the Sixth Wiggers Bernard Conference, a group of scientists from various disciplines discussed new findings relating to nitric oxide synthase inhibitor in shock, sepsis, and organ failure. Dedicated to the presentation and discussion of both positive and negative findings related to the use of NOS inhibitors, the meeting served as a forum for issues relating to specific and non-specific inhibitors, as well as the role of nitric oxide-oxygen radical interactions. Both experimental and clinical data were presented in the trauma and sepsis field.

International experts examine the role of nitric oxide in various metabolic events such as septic shock, cardiovascular dysfunction, and trauma and hemorrhagic shock. The nitric oxide pathway and nitric oxide synthesis regulation are also discussed.

In this book current knowledge of the pathophysiology of shock, sepsis and multi organ failure is presented. The rapid progress which has been made and the results achieved in intensive care medicine are based on sound basic research, which is duly reflected in these chapters. Multiorgan failure is the foremost cause of postoperative and posttraumatic death and many complex mechanisms are involved. Only with a good foundation of basic research can abnormalities in the physiological, biochemical, and morphological course of shock be recognized and the necessary conclusions for treatment drawn. Therapy must proceed from profound knowledge of the multi variant physiological events in order to influence shock, sepsis and organ failure. Although numerous possibilities for therapy have arisen from pharmaceutical research in recent years, they are beyond the scope of this book and are not discussed here. To gain a better understanding of the pathophysiological events it was necessary to examine and to describe different models that simulate and reproduce these events. Here we describe the causative agents (shock) and the consequences (sepsis, organ failure) in two main sections, divided on the basis of their pathophysiology.