4 Ways COVID-19 is Similar to Sepsis
SUMMARY
- A number of common features are shared by severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and sepsis.
- Organ dysfunction caused by COVID-19 can be depicted as viral sepsis
- As a syndrome, both COVID-19 and sepsis present with a heterogeneous physiologic and alterations in biochemical values.
BACKGROUND
- Sepsis is not a discrete entity, rather it is a syndrome consisting of a constellation of signs, symptoms and laboratory findings. This is described by the most recent definition of sepsis as a dysregulated host inflammatory response related to infection along with new onset organ dysfunction.
- Although there have been improved trends in prognosis for sepsis patients over the past several decades, generating reproducible results in sepsis trials is been challenging.
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Potential reasons for the lack of consistency are:
- the heterogeneity of the patient population
- various baseline standard care provided
- lack of precision in better segmentation of the heterogeneity of sepsis
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COVID-19 has affected almost every country in the world. As we gain a better understanding of this infection, it has become clear the initial viral replication of the SAR-CoV-2 virus in severe cases is followed by an inadequate host response.
- In its worse form, COVID-19 results in acute respiratory distress syndrome along with dysfunction of other organs.
- Multi-organ failure is present in most deaths.
- COVID-19 cases have a heterogeneity within the patient population
REVIEW
With the high complexity and heterogeneity of both disease states, there seems to be commonalities worth highlighting.
CONCLUSIONS
- Patients with both COVID-19 and sepsis consist of very heterogeneous groups of patients, with multiple characteristics.
- Various classes of agents have been suggested to combat COVID-19 and sepsis.
- Better characterization of patients is needed to help provide a more personalized patient as well as treatment selection approach with both COVID-19 and sepsis.
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Erkan Hassan is the Co-Founder & Chief Clinical Officer of Sepsis Program Optimization where he designs & oversees the implementation of solutions to optimize sepsis programs.
To discuss your organization’s Barriers of Effective Sepsis Care, contact Erkan by phone (844) 4SEPSIS (844-473-7747), email (erkan@spo.icu), or video chat.
