GLP-1 Advisor | One Day MD

It's hard not to get excited about news of a potentially effective treatment for sepsis , a condition that leads to multiple organ failure and kills more people in the hospital than any other disease. But there have been so many false promises about this condition over the years, it's also wise to treat announcements — like one published online by the journal, Chest — with caution. The study, from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va., reported some remarkable success in treating patients who were at high risk of sudden death. The story began in January, 2016, when Dr. Paul Marik was running the intensive care unit at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. A 48-year-old woman came in with a severe case of sepsis — inflammation frequently triggered by an overwhelming infection. "Her kidneys weren't working. Her lungs weren't working. She was going to die," Marik said. "In a situation like this, you start thinking out of the box." M...

VICTAS is a clinical trial for hospitalized patients with sepsis, a life-threatening condition caused by a severe infection. Sepsis occurs when the body releases so much of certain chemicals into the bloodstream to fight the infection that it causes an overwhelming inflammatory response throughout the body. This reaction then damages major organs and tissues. Someone with sepsis is critically ill and they will commonly have a fever, a fast heart rate, a fast respiration rate and confusion but other symptoms of the infection may also be present. Sepsis is usually treated in an intensive care unit and patients may need oxygen or mechanical ventilation (an artificial lung machine), medications to raise their low blood pressure, or dialysis to remove toxins from their blood. There is a significant risk of death in sepsis patients so new ways of treating it are badly needed. Sepsis is usually treated with antibiotics and intravenous fluids. Certain medications, such as “anti-inflammatory” s...