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Multiple Organ Failure: Clinical Syndrome

  • Chapter
Book cover Mechanisms of Organ Dysfunction in Critical Illness

Part of the book series: Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine ((UICMSOFT,volume 38))

Abstract

Multiple organ failure (MOF) is the leading cause of death in intensive care units. First described some 30 years ago [1, 2], MOF was originally thought to be due to the presence of uncontrolled infection. More recently, we have begun to realize that while infection can, and often does, play an important role, it is only one of many factors involved. Indeed, MOF is not an isolated disease process, but rather a clinical syndrome with different patients demonstrating different combinations and severity of organ dysfunction; as such, MOF is difficult to define and to describe. In this chapter, we will briefly describe recent advances in characterizing and assessing MOF in the intensive care unit (ICU) population.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

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

    J-L. Vincent & F. Lopes Ferreira

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  1. J-L. Vincent
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  2. F. Lopes Ferreira
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Intensive Care Unit, Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NP, UK

    Timothy W. Evans

  2. Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Scaife Hall, Room 606, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15264, USA

    Mitchell P. Fink

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© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Vincent, JL., Lopes Ferreira, F. (2002). Multiple Organ Failure: Clinical Syndrome. In: Evans, T.W., Fink, M.P. (eds) Mechanisms of Organ Dysfunction in Critical Illness. Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, vol 38. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56107-8_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56107-8_28

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-42692-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-56107-8

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