OUTCOME RESEARCH - SIGNIFICANCE FOR SEPSI S AND SEPTIC SHOCK

Besides antibiotics and supportive treatment of organ dysfunction, sup plemental measures in therapy of sepsis and septic shock are available , aiming at an interruption of the underlying activated toxin/mediator networks. Despite this extensive regimen for the improvement of thera py, the mortality due to sepsis and septic shock is still comparably h igh as in 1909. The disappointing results of clinical trials in the pa st decade raise the question whether our basic assumptions and standar d methodologies of sepsis treatment are effective and adequate. Outsom e research, a rapidly evolving field that incorporates clinical, epide miological, economic and psychometric measures, aims to analyse patien t outcome through multidisciplinary efforts and to develop proven and effective disease management strategies. Using the tools of outcome re search in sepsis we have to realize that our present sepsis treatment strategies are less confirmed than we might assume. The contradictive results of supplemental sepsis therapy studies reinforce the impact of clinical trials (phase III) as gold standard for the evaluation of se psis treatment strategies.