Severe sepsis is a common, deadly, and diagnostically vexing condition. Recent
recommendations for diagnosing sepsis, referred to as consensus guidelines, provide a
definition of sepsis and remove the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) as a
component of the diagnostic process. A concise definition of sepsis is welcomed. However,
the approach to developing these guidelines, although thorough, had weaknesses.
Emphasis is placed on mortality prediction rather than on early diagnosis. Diagnostic criteria …