View clinical trials related to Severe Sepsis.
Filter by:Background: The purpose of the present study was to compare serum total cortisol (STC), salivary cortisol (SaC) and calculated free cortisol (cFC) levels at the baseline and after the ACTH stimulation test, in patients with severe sepsis (SS) and to determine the suitability of SaC and cFC levels instead of STC for the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency in patients with SS. Methods: Thirty patients with SS (15 men, and 15 women) were compared with 16 healthy controls. Low dose ACTH stimulation test (1 µg) was performed on the first, 7th and 28th days of diagnosis of SS. STC and SaC levels were measured during ACTH stimulation test.
Antibiotic dosing in septic patients poses a challenge for clinicians due to the pharmacokinetic changes seen in this population. Piperacillin/tazobactam is often used for empirical treatment, and initial appropriate dosing is crucial for reducing mortality. The investigators aim was to determined the pharmacokinetic profile of piperacillin 4g every 8 hour in 22 patients treated empirically for sepsis and severe sepsis. A PK population model was be established with the dual purpose to assess current standard treatment and to simulate alternative dosing regimens and modes of administration. Time above the minimal inhibitory concentration (T>MIC) predicted for each patient was evaluated against clinical breakpoint MIC for Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (16 mg/L). Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) targets evaluated were 100% f T>MIC and 50% fT>MIC.
Activation of caspase-4 and human caspase-5 (orthologs of caspase-11 in mice) in innate immune cells.
Forearm vasoocclusive testing (VOT) will be performed with laser-doppler spectrophotometry system in septic patients on ICU. Microcirculatory oxygen uptake will be checked for prognostic value and for associations with tissue hypoxia markers and high central venus saturations.
This research project is a study to immunology changes in critically ill patients with severe sepsis by using Endotoxin Activity Assay (EAA) combined with Polymyxin-B Hemoperfusion.
The aim of this prospective study is to assess the prognostic value of bioactive plasma adrenomedullin (ADM) in 600 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock in an international multicenter study and to validate the findings concerning the association of ADM concentration and the use of vasopressor therapy, organ failure and outcome.
The investigators hypothesize that implementing an electronic health record-based early warning system for severe infections (severe sepsis) will decrease the time to antibiotic order. The study will consist of an algorithm which will monitor lab values, vital signs, and nursing documentation for signs of severe sepsis. When these criteria are met, an alert will be delivered via the electronic health record to a nurse and doctor and simultaneously an alert via pager to another nurse. The investigators plan to randomize which patients will generate these alerts and analyze the data after collecting information for approximately 6 months which will be sufficient to detect a 10% difference in the two patient groups.
Severe sepsis results in over 300,000 Emergency Department (ED) visits and 215,000 deaths annually in the US. Currently there are no effective drug therapies for sepsis. High density lipoprotein (HDL) has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antithrombotic properties and is protective in sepsis. Its functions in sepsis are primarily mediated by its main apolipoprotein, Apo-A1, that: 1) neutralize potent bacterial toxins, 2) protect blood vessel walls from damage, 3) prevent tissue damage through antioxidant properties, and 4) mediate thymocyte apoptosis (critical for survival) and endogenous corticosteroid release. However, recent literature presents inconsistent data on HDL functionality and shows that HDL becomes non-functional during acute inflammatory states called dysfunctional HDL (Dys-HDL). Several causes for Dys-HDL have been hypothesized including the presence of Apo A1 polymorphisms, which may worsen the pathologic inflammatory response in sepsis and have been demonstrated in early sepsis, making Dys-HDL an unstudied potential early marker. This project aims to: 1) determine the presence of Dys-HDL in adult patients with early severe sepsis who present to the ED (Dys-HDL will be tested using a novel cell free assay and HDL Inflammatory Index will be measured), and 2) examine the relationship between Dys-HDL and cumulative organ dysfunction via Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Results of this study could establish Dys-HDL as an early disease marker for sepsis which is influential in the development of sepsis-induced organ dysfunction.
The concept of acquired immunodeficiency after a first severe infection in the ICU is widely described in the literature. There is a dual risk: increased mortality and increased secondary infections. Several approaches of immunostimulatory treatments have been proposed in the literature. The treatment proposed by this study consists of the administration of Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), colony stimulating factor widely used particularly in the USA where it is marketed. A phase 2 clinical trial was conducted in Germany in 2009. The main objective is to measure the incidence of ICU-acquired infections in 2 groups of patients treated by GM-CSF or placebo. ICU patients at risk are defined as surviving at D3 from a severe sepsis or septic shock and presenting a sepsis associated immunodepression. The detection of immunosuppressed patients will be achieved by measuring the HLA-DR (Human Leucocyte Antigen DR)with a threshold of less to 8000 sites. Our hypothesis is that the number of secondary infections (primary endpoint) will be significantly reduced in the treated group.
Echocardiography (cardiac ultrasound) is being used more often in the critical care setting for management of severe infection (septic shock). Early studies show echocardiography to be useful in these patients, but at this time, there are no good clinical trials to justify its use. Our study goals/objectives are as follows: 1. To conduct an unblinded, two-group randomized controlled clinical trial to compare an echocardiography-guided resuscitation protocol with an Early Goal Directed Therapy (EGDT) protocol in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. 2. Demonstrate that a sepsis treatment protocol using transthoracic echocardiography and other non-invasive assessments of cardiac output will result in more rapid resolution of septic shock compared to invasive EGDT. 3. Demonstrate patients receiving the non-invasive echocardiography protocol will receive less administration of intravenous fluid.