Articles: sepsis.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Neonatal tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-1 alpha, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-6 response to infection.
Various studies have shown that in vitro production of cytokines by leukocytes from the newborn are normal, decreased, or increased. We investigated the blood levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) interleukin-1 alpha, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) simultaneously to assess the cytokine response to systemic infection during the neonatal period. One or more cytokine levels were elevated in all of the newborns with sepsis. ⋯ Gram-negative bacteria were the main causative agents in these patients, although one of them was infected with gram-positive bacteria, besides one premature infant (29 weeks) with Candida sepsis also had significantly elevated TNF, IL-1 beta, and IL-6 levels. Our data show that both mature and premature neonates were able to produce and significantly increase the blood levels of the cytokines in response to sepsis. Because the biologic relevance of cytokine levels is not known, further prospective and sequential studies on cytokine levels simultaneously and correlation with clinical parameters are needed to clarify the biological role of this important component of the host defense system.
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Sepsis and organ failure are significant causes of morbidity and mortality in the geriatric patient. A number of factors contribute to increased risk of septic complications in the elderly. ⋯ Atypical presentation is also common with infection in the elderly. The key to blunting the effects of severe infection in the elderly is rapid diagnosis and aggressive resuscitation.
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Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Jun 1994
ReviewThe systemic inflammatory response, sepsis, and multiple organ dysfunction: new definitions for an old problem.
Sepsis is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Until recently, there was much variation in the definition and descriptions of sepsis. This article outlines the report of the consensus conference between the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the American College of Chest Physicians, which established recommendations for the terminology to be used when describing sepsis. An overview of the epidemiology of sepsis and the current state-of-the-art therapy are also provided.
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Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Jun 1994
ReviewAnti-infective drugs in the prevention and treatment of sepsis syndrome.
Anti-infective drugs may be used to prevent or treat infectious diseases. Preventing serious infections using aerosolized drugs, selective decontamination of the intestinal tract, or devices impregnated with anti-infective materials generally has been unsuccessful. Treatment of serious infections arising from the community or hospital setting requires knowledge of the most likely pathogens responsible for the illness, the antimicrobial susceptibility of those organisms, and the proper dosing of antimicrobial therapy.