Roundtable debate: Controversies in the management of the septic patient – desperately seeking consensus

Despite continuous advances in technologic and pharmacologic management, the mortality rate from septic shock remains high. Care of patients with sepsis includes measures to support the circulatory system and treat the underlying infection. There is a substantial body of knowledge indicating that fluid resuscitation, vasopressors, and antibiotics accomplish these goals. Recent clinical trials have provided new information on the addition of individual adjuvant therapies. Consensus on how current therapies should be prescribed is lacking. We present the reasoning and preferences of a group of intensivists who met to discuss the management of an actual case. The focus is on management, with emphasis on the criteria by which treatment decisions are made. It is clear from the discussion that there are areas where there is agreement and areas where opinions diverge. This presentation is intended to show how experienced intensivists apply clinical science to their practice of critical care medicine.