Sepsis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Sepsis, including details on septicemia, diagnosis, symptoms, treatment.

Sepsis and coagulation.

Aird WC

Division of Molecular and Vascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, RW-663, Boston, MA 02215, USA. waird@bidmc.harvard.edu

The host response to infection is a highly complex yet well-orchestrated process that involves an elaborate array of soluble mediators and cells. Normally, the host response prevails in containing and eliminating the pathogenic threat. When excessive or sustained, however, the host response may "turn on its bearer" and lead to organ dysfunction. Severe sepsis is invariably associated with activation of primary and secondary hemostasis. This article describes sepsis-associated changes in coagulation, discusses the putative role for these changes in pathogenesis of the sepsis syndrome, and outlines current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Published 4 July 2005 in Crit Care Clin, 21(3): 417-31.
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