Gastrointestinal Sepsis: Pathophysiology and Treatment

Presentation Description / Summary: This lecture will focus on the intestinal tract’s role in initiating and perpetuating systemic injury in sepsis and SIRS. We’ll discuss the inherent fragility of the intestinal tract and strategies to mitigate distant organ injury. To highlight the role of the intestinal tract in disease, we’ll examine diseases such as parvovirus, acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome (AHDS), and septic peritonitis. Therapies including antibiotics, probiotics, direct peritoneal resuscitation and other interventions used in shock patients will be discussed in light of their effect on the intestinal tract. AHDS treatment guidelines will also be discussed based on recent literature and clinical practice.