The Central Role of the Inflammatory Response in Understanding the Heterogeneity of Sepsis-3

Figure 2

The heterogeneous inflammatory response in sepsis-3. According to the definition of sepsis-3, the dysregulated host response, as a bridge between the infection (the cause) and organ dysfunction (the outcome), is complicated and heterogeneous (a). In this review, we mainly discuss the central but heterogeneous role of the inflammatory response in sepsis. We propose a hypothetical classification of sepsis into “classical sepsis” (b) and “non-classical sepsis” (c). Hyperinflammation is regarded as the main cause of organ dysfunction in “classical sepsis” (b). Organ dysfunction might be caused by other host or noninfectious factors rather than hyperinflammation in “non-classical sepsis” (c). We believe that sepsis requires stratification and precise treatment. SIRS, systemic inflammatory response syndrome; SOFA, sequential organ failure assessment.

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(b)

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