Synopses & Reviews
The first Wiggers Bernard Conference on Shock, Sepsis and Organ Failure, named after two outstanding scientists in shock research and experimental medicine, took an interdisciplinary approach to addressing three questions, in hopes of gaining new perspective in understanding the development of the multi-organ failure syndrome. 1. Multi-organ failure - Is it a sequence of organ failures or a systemic disease? 2. Cellular events in trauma and sepsis - Are they due to suppression, activation or both? 3. Mediators of organ failure - Are LPS or sepsis necessary? Nineteen experts attempted to answer these questions by exploring all aspects in intense discussions. These, together with the actual lectures, are reproduced in this book. The topics include humoral and cellular activation mechanisms, immunosuppression, metabolic responses, source and action of endotoxin (including the release of cytokines, oxygen radicals and proteinases). This book updates basic and clinical information on the state-of-the-art of the pathophysiology of multi-organ failure. Both clinicians and scientists concerned with basic research will find it to be a valuable source.
Synopsis
The First Wiggers Bernard Conference on Shock, Sepsis, and Organ Failure was envisaged as a meeting of American and European Scientists. It was named after two researchers, one from the "Old" and one from the "New World," who are wellknown for their outstanding achievements in shock research and experimental medicine. This meeting was a point of de- parture for a series of workshops that will focus on two to three main topics dealt with in detail by experts in their respective fields. The First Wiggers Bernard Conference addressed three main questions: 1. Multi-organ-failure - is it a sequence of organ failures or a systemic disease? 2. Cellular events in trauma and sepsis - are they due to suppression, activation or both? 3. Mediators of organ failure - are LPS or sepsis necessary? Although many answers were given in this first session, numerous issues remain to be clarified due to the enormous complexity of the subject. How- ever, the stage was set for encounters between clinicians and basic medical researchers, since theoretical knowledge will be useful to the clinician ex- ploring new approaches to diagnosis, prophylaxis, and therapy. The conference could not have been organized without the generous sup- port of the Immuno Company, Vienna, Austria. May we express our special thanks to Dr. Eibl, managing director and head of the research division of Immuno AG, not only for granting financial support but also for his valuable advice, encouragement, and scientific expertise.