Novel Approaches to the Treatment of Sepsis Syndrome

Sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock are common diagnoses in intensive care units worldwide. In the United States, it is estimated that 750 000 cases of sepsis occur annually. This rate is expected to climb, with an additional 1 million cases per year expected by 2020. These infection-induced inflammatory syndromes ultimately lead to organ dysfunction, and a significantly high mortality rate. Recently, advances in knowledge of sepsis syndrome have led to progress in identifying potential treatment options beyond our current standards of care. Many health care facilities have implemented protocols to guide clinicians to use such standards: early goal-directed therapy and activated protein C therapy in qualifying patients. Nonetheless, debate continues to confuse identification of patient populations in whom corticosteroid therapy should be recommended. While the data describing studies of novel treatment approaches has been controversial in some cases, there have been promising results observed in others. Here we review several treatments that have recently gained attention in the medical literature: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), selenium therapy, immunoglobulin therapy, and several agents currently in preclinical study.