Navigating sepsis: from definition to action at the bedside

Each month, ESICM’s Topic of the Month brings together curated scientific content, expert interviews and key resources from across our 15 specialist sections, helping you explore key themes in depth and stay at the forefront of ICU practice.

Because in a field that evolves as rapidly as ours, continuous learning is the foundation of better care for our patients.

This month, we spotlight the Systemic Inflammation and Sepsis Section, dedicated to advancing research and education on life-threatening inflammatory responses, with and without infection. With sepsis and septic shock among the leading causes of death worldwide, the section works to improve care through a better understanding of pathophysiology, prevention and treatment, while promoting clinical and experimental research across the field.

From defining refractory septic shock and refining treatment strategies to exploring data-driven approaches and personalised care, the Systemic Inflammation and Sepsis Section tackles questions that directly shape outcomes for the most critically ill patients.

Because in sepsis, every hour counts — and so does every advance in how we understand and treat it.

This month, we invite you to explore our featured scientific interview and curated resources, and to consider how the latest evidence on sepsis and systemic inflammation can strengthen your practice at the bedside.

RESOURCES: 

 Webinars & Podcasts
🔹Surviving Sepsis Campaign Webinar 1: infection management
🔹SSC Webinar 3: Haemodynamic and fluid management
🔹SSC Webinar 3: respiratory support and adjunctive therapies
🔹SSC Webinar 4: the patient perspective
🔹2026 World Sepsis Day: From Awareness to Action
🔹When and how vasopressors in Sepsis?

ICM Articles
🔹Surviving Sepsis Campaign: international guidelines for management of sepsis and septic shock 2026
🔹Current knowledge and challenges of sepsis-associated encephalopathy
🔹Reframing sepsis through resistance, disease tolerance and damage: a clinically meaningful conceptual shift?
🔹Immune responses and immunomodulation in sepsis: a call for identifying treatable mechanisms

SCIENTIFIC INTERVIEW:

In this month’s scientific interview, Marc Leone (Marseille, France) and Ricard Ferrer (Barcelona, Spain) tackle one of the most pressing questions in sepsis care: how do we define refractory septic shock, and what do we do once a patient meets the criteria?

Two Delphi consensuses have recently been published — an international one supported by ESICM and SCCM, and a Spanish one. Beyond definitions, they explore what comes next at the bedside: when to escalate, how to choose between vasopressin, angiotensin II and adjunctive therapies like methylene blue or blood purification, and whether treatment should follow a fixed sequence or be personalised. Their message is clear — a shared definition is the first step, but it only matters if it changes how we treat.