In 2016 a critical care task force proposed a new definition for sepsis and septic shock based on advances in science and the testing of clinical criteria against patient outcomes in EHR data.

The Task Force recommended that sepsis and septic shock be defined as follows:

Definitions:

Sepsis: Lifethreatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection

Septic shock: Sepsis with circulatory and cellular/metabolic abnormalities profound enough to substantially increase mortality

Clinical Criteria:

Sepsis: Suspected or documented infection and an acute increase of greater than or equal to 2 SOFA points (a proxy for organ dysfunction)

Septic Shock: Sepsis and vasopressor therapy needed to elevate MAP greater than or equal to 65 mmg Hg and greather than 2 mmol/L (18 mg/dL) after adequate fluid resuscitation

Learn more at http://jamasepsis.com!