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Intensive Care Medicine pp 267–275Cite as

Statins in Sepsis and Acute Lung Injury

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Abstract

Severe sepsis is a common cause of critical illness and death on the intensive care unit (ICU). It is estimated that severe sepsis accounts for more than 9% of all annual deaths in the United States, comparable to the figure for myocardial infarction. Interestingly, recent human studies suggested that 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors or statins, widely used in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis, have some protective effects in bacteremia, sepsis, and related problems, independent of their cholesterol-lowering effects [1]–[17]. The growing body of evidence gives rise to the question of whether statins have a role in established sepsis as an adjuvant therapy, in the primary prevention of sepsis or both, and what the mechanisms of action are.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Intensive Care and Physiology Institute for Cardiovascular Research, VU University Medical Center, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, Netherlands

    M. van der Heijden & G. P. van Nieuw Amerongen

  2. Department of Adult Intensive Care Institute for Cardiovascular Research, VU University Medical Center, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, Netherlands

    A. B. J. Groeneveld

Authors
  1. M. van der Heijden
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  2. A. B. J. Groeneveld
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  3. G. P. van Nieuw Amerongen
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Intensive Care Erasme Hospital, Free University of Brussels, Route de Lennik 808, 1070, Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Louis Vincent MD, PhD, FCCM, FCCP (Head) (Head)

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© 2007 Springer Science + Business Media Inc.

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van der Heijden, M., Groeneveld, A.B.J., van Nieuw Amerongen, G.P. (2007). Statins in Sepsis and Acute Lung Injury. In: Vincent, JL. (eds) Intensive Care Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-49518-7_24

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-49518-7_24

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-49517-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-49518-7

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