Biomarkers and newer laboratory investigations in the diagnosis of sepsis.

Sepsis is a major cause of death in hospitalised patients accounting for mortality rates as high as 60% and, hence, is called 'a hidden public health disaster'. Sepsis is defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Sepsis is not a disease but is a clinical syndrome, where the initial features are nonspecific resulting in delayed diagnosis.