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Current ResearchCellular Mechanisms That Trigger Septic Shock and Multiple Organ Failure Septic infection is the leading cause of death in the noncoronary intensive care unit. It is classified into four stages of increasing severity: sepsis, severe sepsis, septic shock and multiple organ failure. At the MMRF, a research team led by West is working to unlock the secrets of the mechanisms that trigger septic shock and multiple organ failure in an effort to improve the odds for patients suffering from these life-threatening conditions. At the MMRF, West and his researchers are also looking at the cellular mechanisms that trigger septic shock and multiple organ failure. White blood cells normally help the body fight infection by ingesting invading bacteria. In the process, the bacteria stimulate the white cells to release extremely potent chemical messenger molecules, called cytokines, that amplify and regulate the immune system thus fighting infection. In septic infection, however, they are released in abnormally high or low levels and can’t regulate the immune system effectively. Physicians have noticed that different people can have different responses to the same infectious problem. For example, people respond differently to a second infection than they do to the first. Most current therapies for septic infection assume that the white blood cells respond to a second infection the same way they respond to the first. Understanding the different responses could lead to therapies that would be based on the precise immune state of each patient. Drug Trials MMRF investigators are conducting drug studies to assess the safety and effectiveness of medications in treating a variety of conditions that can occur as a result of a traumatic injury. These conditions include sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and nosocomial (not present or incubating at the time of hospital admission) pneumonia.
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