What is sepsis?

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to an infection. Septic shock is defined as a subset of sepsis in which particularly profound circulatory, cellular, and metabolic abnormalities are associated with a greater risk of mortality than with sepsis alone. Sepsis and septic shock are leading causes of death and present a major clinical problem in the management of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).