Ventilatory support of patients with sepsis or septic shock in resource-limited settings

Research evidence for ventilatory support recommendations in sepsis and septic shock management has been mainly gathered from investigations in resource-rich settings. Often, it is not practical to directly translate this evidence to resource-limited settings. Indeed, resource-limited intensive care units (ICUs) are frequently restricted in the availability of equipment, laboratory support and skilled staff. We report on a set of pragmatic recommendations for ventilatory support in sepsis and septic shock management in resource-limited settings, built upon two previous sets of guidelines for sepsis management, the most recent Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines [ 1 ] and the recommendations for sepsis management by the Global Intensive Care Working Group of the ESICM [ 2 ], as well as upon an updated literature search and expert opinions [ 3 ].