Dying as a Pathway to Death in Sepsis

• Authors: Wenxiao Zhang, Emory University; Craig Coopersmith, Emory University
• Journal Title: Anesthesiology
• Volume: Volume 129, Number 2
• Publisher: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins: No Hybrid Open Access | 2018-08-01, Pages 238-240
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000002271
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Anesthesiology; RECEPTOR 2; CASPASE-11

Abstract

Mortality from sepsis remains high with at least 270,000 deaths annually in the United States and over 5 million deaths worldwide. Despite increasing understanding of the pathophysiology of the sepsis, outside of targeted antibiotic therapy and source control (when appropriate), treatment is generally supportive. As such, improved understanding of mechanisms that lead to mortality as well as development of new therapeutics are of paramount importance to treat sepsis and septic shock, which have mortality rates of 20-40%. In this light, a study by Fang and colleagues in this issue of Anesthesiology examining macrophage pyroptosis in sepsis from intraperitoneal infection of E. Coli, identifying a new pathway of mortality from sepsis, has potential therapeutic implications.