Much Ado About the New Definitions of Sepsis

Sanda-Maria Copotoiu^1*, Ruxandra Copotoiu²

1 University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tirgu Mures, Romania, Clinic of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Emergency County Hospital of Tîrgu Mures, Gheorghe Marinescu street no 38, Tirgu Mures, Romania
2 Les Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Pôle d’anesthésie – réanimations chirurgicales – SAMU – SMUR, Service d’anesthésiologie, Hôpital Civil

DOI: 10.1515/jccm-2016-0015

Following the publication of the new definition of sepsis (Sepsis-3), a plethora of articles have been published in medical journals. Recognizing the epidemiological importance of the previous definitions, first issued in 1992 (Sepsis-1), and subsequently revised in 2001 (Sepsis-2), the most recent opinion emphasizes the failure “to provide adequate groups of patients with homogenous aetiologies, presentations and outcomes”, and blamed one of the causes “for the failure of several randomized controlled trials (RCTs), that tested the efficacy of adjuvant sepsis therapies”. This review summarizes the recent advances in sepsis definition.