LAUSR

Sepsis and septic shock, cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock, and hemorrhagic shock are leading causes of mortality in our intensive care units (ICU) daily. The ICU patient population has increased significantly over the last decade, and is projected to continue to increase with the aging of our national population. We are in great need of new and innovative treatment approaches given the high associated mortality rates of the aforementioned shock states. This issue of SHOCK highlights elegant research studies in these very important topics in critical care medicine. The clinical (five studies), translational (two studies), and basic science (nine studies) investigations in this issue aim to provide greater understanding of the pathophysiology and underlying mechanisms of shock and develop future more effective treatment strategies to save the lives of our critically ill and injured patients. We have provided an abbreviated review of the important findings of each of the studies and commented on the need for future basic/translational studies and clinical trials. For some of the topics in this issue, there are already important ongoing clinical studies underway to further elucidate whether changes in clinical practice are warranted.