Sepsis-Induced Lung Injury: The Mechanism and Treatment

Sepsis-induced lung injury is one of the severest complications in sepsis. It belongs to the category of acute lung injury (ALI) or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). On the basis of both experimental and clinical studies, the pathogenesis of sepsis-induced lung injury includes the contributions of inflammatory response, vascular hyperpermeability, alveolar edema accumulation, and ventilator-induced lung injury. Survival has been increased with the strategy of protective ventilation based on a ventilator. However, specific effective pharmacologic therapies are still lacking, in spite of the tests of some anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant agents. As new therapeutic strategies, cell therapy and gene therapy are still in their infancy, and their potentials remain to be evaluated. Although a number of basic studies show that some traditional Chinese medicines can protect against ALI or ARDS, it still needs to be further verified by clinical trials.