From clinical studies sepsis can be seen as a continuum of severity that begins with an infection, followed in some cases by sepsis, severe sepsis – with organ dysfunction – and septic shock. There has been a substantial increase in the incidence of sepsis during the last decades, and it appears to be rising over time, with an increasing number of deaths occurring despite a decline in overall in-hospital mortality (Bone, 1992). Advanced age, underlying comorbidities and number of organ dysfunction are factors which are consistently associated with higher mortality in severe sepsis and septic shock. .
