Septicemia: An Extreme Host Response to a Global Healthcare Problem
Patricia Tille, Hassan Aziz, Janice Conway-Klaassenc
Int. J. Bio. Lab. Sci 2020 1:1-6 【Abstract】 【PDF】
Abstract
The invasion of the bloodstream by an infectious agent, is one of the most serious and life threatening conditions and a growing worldwide healthcare concern. In addition, there has been significant controversy regarding the risk factors associated with the development of blood stream infections, the classification of these infections, diagnostic criteria and treatment. Many other factors such as the infecting microorganism and geographical location play an intricate role in the development of blood stream infections. This paper is an introduction to a series of reviews concerning the changing laboratory diagnostics of sepsis from traditional microbiology, to molecular diagnostics and automation, and a variety of physiologically relevant biomarkers. An understanding of the brief history, definition of and ambiguity associated with the classification of sepsis and related blood stream infections including septic shock and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is necessary in order to examine the use of traditional microbiological methods, the use of biomarkers and the introduction of molecular diagnostics and automation in the evolution of sepsis management in order to improve patient care, prognosis and treatment of sepsis in a global healthcare environment.
Key words: septicemia, sepsis, severe sepsis, bloodstream infections, septic shock
