The International debate on "what sepsis is" reflects the complexity of the physiological changes that occur in the body. Previous definitions have emphasised the issues of systemic inflammation and infection that occur, yet this does not fully address the complexity of sepsis. It also needs to include changes in the body's hormonal, metabolic, cardiovascular and neural responses.
Whilst the definition for sepsis has been refined over time, the 2016 consensus definition from 31 societies across the world is:
"life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection"
[Singer et al, 2016, p805]
This new definition, known as the 'Sepsis-3' iteration, emphasises the body's altered physiological responses as sepsis develops. It highlights infection as the cause but then incorporates the many responses generated with the potential development of life-threatening consequences for the body's organs. Following the publication of the Sepsis-3 definition, the NICE guidelines (2016) have included this definition.
Reference:
Singer M, Deutschman CS, Seymour CW, Shankar-Hari M, Annane D, Bauer M, Bellomo R, Bernard GR, Chiche J, Coopersmith CM, Hotchkiss RS, Levy MM, Marshall JC, Martin GS, Opal SM, Rubenfeld GD, van der Poll T, Vincent J, Angus DC. The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3). JAMA. 2016;315(8):801-810. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.0287
