Synopses & Reviews
The human body is capable of killing itself for little apparent reason, and it happens often enough to rank as the third most common cause of death in the United States today. Kevin Tracey, a neurosurgeon, immunologist, and highly regarded scientist, offers in
Fatal Sequence an easily understandable account of the medical and scientific "perfect storm" that is severe sepsis, the medical crisis that can descend on patients fighting off even seemingly nonfatal illness or injury. Severe sepsis killed "Muppets" creator Jim Henson, who had been hospitalized for pneumonia, and took the life of Christopher Reeve, who was being treated for pressure sores of the skin.
Fatal Sequence tells the story of Janice, a one-year-old who arrives in the emergency room, burned by boiling water after she crawled behind her unsuspecting grandmother as she turned from the stove. She survives the night, but the following morning is only the beginning of her long and intense battle against severe sepsis, as her body attacks itself. Tracey, who cared for the girl during her four weeks in intensive care, draws on her case to vividly illustrate why sepsis happens, in a sensitive, suspenseful story that renders cutting-edge science human, accessible, and unforgettable.
Review
"I enjoyed reading
Fatal Sequence very much; indeed, I had great difficulty putting it down. . . . Tracey is among the giants in sepsis research. . . . Tracey persuasively distinguishes between severe sepsis and septic shock . . . . I recommend
Fatal Sequence to all involved in the care of patients with sepsis and to patients' families."--Robert F. Wilson,
Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Medical Association
Review
"Here is the inside scoop on the discovery of tumor necrosis factor and high mobility group proteins, with an ever-convincing argument for the cytokine theory of disease."--Jerry J. Zimmerman, Critical Care Medicine Jerry J. Zimmerman
Review
"Read it for an intimate glimpse into the thought patterns of a top-level physician researcher, for the brilliance of the science, for a better understanding of the mechanisms that affect all of us when we fall sick, or simply for the pleasure of the story."--Shaw Warren, Infectious Disease Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital
Shaw Warren
Review
"Kevin Tracey tells a very compelling scientific detective story about how the body can destroy itself when an infection gets out of control and causes septic shock or sepsis. He describes with emotional intensity a path of discovery that is leading to new treatments based upon a new understanding of what goes wrong in the body."--Bruce S. McEwen, Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University
Bruce S. McEwen
Review
"As a clinician and a highly regarded scientist, Tracey has done a beautiful job in helping us to understand the tremendous challenges of sepsis and the toll this condition exacts on patients, their families, and caregivers."--Journal of Clinical Investigation New Scientist
Review
"This book is one that everyone interested in both mind-body connection and the nature of medical discoveries should read and enjoy."--Christopher T. Walsh, Harvard Medical School
Christopher T. Walsh
Review
"This book is a must for anyone interested in protecting the body from foreign organisms and, in many instances, itself."--Jamie Talan, science writer,
Newsday Jamie Talan
Review
"The complete story of his unforgettable patient and the medical mystery surrounding severe sepsis."--New Scientist Critical Care Medicine
Review
"The powerful and gripping story of one doctor's battle to save the life of a severely burned child. . . . It is medicine practiced at its purest and most noble, and all told in a prose that is easily understood."--Richard Selzer, author of
The Whistlers' Room Richard Selzer
Review
"This is a book about the scientific process: how it unravels unknowns, often with totally unanticipated findings, and how it provides totally new and beautiful approaches to prevalent ills."--Ralph Steinman, The Rockefeller University
Ralph Steinman
Synopsis
Severe sepsis, a critical illness that most often afflicts victims of initially nonfatal illnesses or injuries, is the third-most-common killer in the United States. In
Fatal Sequence, neurosurgeon, immunologist, and clinical investigator Kevin J. Tracey offers a chronicle both scientific and human, using cases he personally experienced to illustrate the clinical nightmare of organ failure that typifies the disease.
In clear, accessible language, Tracey explains how the brain, which normally restrains the immune system and protects the patient, can fail during severe sepsis—allowing the immune system to indiscriminately kill normal cells along with foreign microbes. Fatal Sequence is a compelling documentation of an all-too-common situation: doctors fighting to prevent patients deaths at the hands of complications from injuries and illnesses that should never be fatal in the first place.
“This book is a must for anyone interested in protecting the body from foreign organisms and, in many instances, itself.” —Jamie Talan, Newsday
About the Author
Kevin J. Tracey, M.D., is chief executive officer of the Feinstein Institute at North Shore-LIJ Health System in Manhasset, New York. He is a leader in inflammation research and the study of the way the immune system responds to infection and injury.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1. The ER2. The Burn Unit3. The OR4. Shock5. Pestilence6. False Hope7. Unraveling Shock8. Unraveling Sepsis9. Brain Control of the Fatal Sequence10. Legacy AcknowledgmentsNotesIndex