Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis “Yang-Xu Zheng”: Significant Prognostic Predictor for Patients with Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock

Table 1

Diagnostic criteria of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Zhengs in severe sepsis and septic shock.

TCM Zheng		Diagnostic criteria
Type	Zheng	Body temperature	Signs^a		Pulse	Tongue
Pathogen-excess type	Qi-phase heat	Fever (BT > 38°C)	Sweating; Thirsty; Nausea/vomiting; Abdominal distension; Abdominal pain; Constipation; Diarrhea			With yellowish coating
	Nutrient-phase heat		Delirium		Rapid; (HR >; 100 beats/min)	Red
	Blood-phase heat		Hemorrhage^b; Petechial or purpuric rash; Convulsion			Dark-red; crimson
Human body-deficiency type	Qi-Xu		Fatigue lethargy	Cool extremities; edematous limbs	Weak	—
	Yang-Xu
	Blood-Xu; Yin-Xu	—	Pale		Threadlike	Light-red; Red
			Night sweating; Thirsty

aEach Zheng was diagnosed when either sign appeared.
^bBleeding in any part of the body was included, except the skin.