Organ Dysfunction in Critically Ill Patients

Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are the most common victims of a clinical condition known as the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), multiple organ failure, multiple systems organ failure, or through some of its more prominent manifestations, as the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) (DIC). The goal of this study is to identify early signs of organ malfunction in critically sick patients and so reduce their risk of death and morbidity. The metabolic and nutritional characteristics of many critical conditions, particularly those originating from trauma or severe sepsis, are similar. In many critically ill patients, whether or not they are infected, there is an array of systemic inflammatory responses that impair immune function and tissue healing, increasing the risk of organ failure (the so-called'multiple organ failure syndrome') as well as prolonged hospitalisation and high mortality