Role of critical care in urological sepsis

Infections arising from the urinary tract may either elicit a Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome or result in Sepsis. This may progress to severe sepsis with associated multi-organ dysfunction and perfusion abnormalities, including hypotension. The mortality associated with sepsis is high, reaching up to 46% in patients with septic shock. Infections arising from the urinary tract may arise either following a primary pathology in the urinary tract or may be acquired as a nosocomial infection. Most of these infections are caused by gram negative organisms, though occasionally gram positive organisms and fungi can infect the urinary tract under certain circumstances. Evaluation of a patient with sepsis should include establishing the diagnosis based on standard criteria, a search for the source and appropriate microbial cultures. Management of these patients requires aggressive fluid resuscitation to achieve well defined goals. This may need to be accompanied by the use of vasopressors and mechanical ventilation. Antimicrobial therapy based on the likely causative organism should be initiated, pending the culture results. Appropriate source control measures should also be taken. Prompt recognition, aggressive resuscitation and appropriate source control measures along with appropriate antimicrobial therapy will help to reduce the mortality in patients with urosepsis