Septic shock results from the dysregulation of the innate immune response following infection. Despite major advances in fundamental and clinical research, patients diagnosed with septic shock still have a poor prognostic outcome, with a mortality rate of up to 50%. Indeed, the reasons leading to septic shock are still poorly understood. First postulated 30 years ago, the general view of septic shock as an acute and overwhelming inflammatory response still prevails today. Recently, the fact that numerous clinical trials have failed to demonstrate any positive medical outcomes has caused us to question our fundamental understanding of this condition. New and sophisticated technologies now allow us to accurately profile the various stages and contributory components of the inflammatory response defining septic shock, and many studies now report a more complex inflammatory response, particularly during the early phase of sepsis. In addition, novel experimental approaches, using more clinically relevant animal models, to standardize and stratify research outcomes are now being argued for. In the present review, we discuss the most recent findings in relation to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in septic shock, and highlight the attempts made to improve animal experimental models. We also review recent studies reporting promising results with two vastly different therapeutic approaches influencing the renin–angiotensin system and applying mesenchymal stem cells for clinical intervention.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Review Article|
August 30 2013
Septic shock: desperately seeking treatment
Olivier Huet;
*Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
†Intensive Care Unit, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Correspondence: Dr Olivier Huet (email [email protected]).
Search for other works by this author on:
Jaye P. F. Chin-Dusting
Jaye P. F. Chin-Dusting
†Intensive Care Unit, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
December 10 2012
Revision Received:
May 09 2013
Accepted:
June 06 2013
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2014 Biochemical Society
2014
Clin Sci (Lond) (2014) 126 (1): 31–39.
Article history
Received:
December 10 2012
Revision Received:
May 09 2013
Accepted:
June 06 2013
Connected Content
A correction has been published:
Septic shock: desperately seeking treatment
Citation
Olivier Huet, Jaye P. F. Chin-Dusting; Septic shock: desperately seeking treatment. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 January 2014; 126 (1): 31–39. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20120668
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Biochemical Society Member Sign in
Sign InSign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionGet Access To This Article
Open Access for all
We offer compliant routes for all authors from 2025. With library support, there will be no author nor reader charges in 5 journals. Check here |
![]() |