Adjunctive measures for treating surgical infections and sepsis.

The history of adjunctive treatments for severe sepsis has been fraught with more failures than successes. To date, there have been few interventions that have been demonstrated to be efficacious by multiple large, well-designed, multicenter randomized clinical trials. However, recent research into treatment strategies using drotrecogin alfa (activated), effective blood glucose management, early goal-directed therapy, protocolization of care, and intensivist management has demonstrated positive results. Further research is being conducted to verify the success of these initial trials. This article summarizes some of the available adjunctive treatments for severe sepsis.