Septic shock

Abstract

This chapter is concerned with the diagnosis and immediate treatment of patients with septic shock. Most clinicians will have a mental image of this condition and would expect to have little difficulty in recognising it from the end of the bed, but despite this there is no universally accepted definition. Indeed, when clinical investigators attempt to arrive at a consensus there are wide variations in terms. Thus, a necessary preface to this chapter is a brief discussion of the controversy surrounding the nomenclature of these syndromes. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.