Epidemiology of sepsis and infection in ICU patients from an international multicentre cohort study.

Objectives: To examine the incidence of infections and to describe them and their outcome in intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

Design And Setting: International prospective cohort study in which all patients admitted to the 28 participating units in eight countries between May 1997 and May 1998 were followed until hospital discharge.

Patients: A total of 14,364 patients were admitted to the ICUs, 6011 of whom stayed less than 24 h and 8353 more than 24 h.

Haemodynamic study of patients with severe sepsis during haemodialysis.

A study was performed in order to observe haemodynamic changes induced by haemodialysis in 14 patients with acute renal failure and severe sepsis. Left ventricular function, as assessed by changes in pulmonary wedge pressure and left ventricular stroke work index through plasma volume expansion, did not change during haemodialysis. Ultrafiltration-induced decreases in cardiac index provoked in 8 patients, with nearly normal initial systemic arteriolar resistance, had adequate and constant increase in their resistance (p less than 0.