Abstract
Sepsis, a life-threatening syndrome caused by a dysregulated response to infection, causes 20% of all deaths worldwide and is the costliest healthcare condition with US$ 32.000 per admission. This thesis investigated the epidemiology, causes of death, potential new mechanisms, treatment, and outcomes of sepsis. It was shown that the new septic shock definition identified a smaller, but more severely ill subpopulation of sepsis patients. One in three patients had an active malignancy and these patients had a 2.5 times higher chance of dying. One in three patients with sepsis dies within 48 hours in the ICU, most often because of multi-organ failure, bowel ischemia, or cardiac arrest. Autopsy in these patients showed major discrepancies with clinical diagnoses. Empirical antibiotic treatment was inadequate in 14% of patients with septic shock, however, adding a second agent did not lead to improved outcome. Mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 and a higher degree of coronary artery calcification had more severe organ failure during admission. Cardiac biomarkers were more increased in non-survivors with COVID-19.
Original language | English |
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Award date | 7 Apr 2022 |
Place of Publication | Maastricht |
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Print ISBNs | 9789464580259 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Keywords
- Sepsis
- Septic Shock
- COVID-19
- Myocardial injury