Comparison between the 2020 international guidelines for the management of sepsis and septic shock and the Japanese guidelines for the management of sepsis

Abstract

In 2021, the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) jointly released the Surviving Sepsis Campaign: international guidelines for management of sepsis and septic shock 2020 with 93 recommendations. In the same year, the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine (JSICM) and the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine (JAAM) also cooperated to publish the Japanese clinical practice guidelines for management of sepsis and septic shock 2020, covering 118 clinical issues in 22 areas. In this paper, 50 items in the contents of the two guidelines are compared in accordance with the order of international guidelines, including screening, initial resuscitation, mean arterial pressure, transfer to intensive care unit (ICU), diagnosis of infection, timing of antimicrobial administration, biomarkers for initiation of antimicrobial therapy, selection of antibiotic, antifungal therapy, antiviral therapy, infusion of antibiotic, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, source of infection control, antimicrobial de-escalation strategy, course of antimicrobial administration, biomarkers for discontinuation of antibiotic, fluid management, vasoactive agents, positive inotropic agents, monitoring and intravenous access, fluid balance, oxygenation targets, high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy, noninvasive ventilation, protective ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), low tidal volume in respiratory failure patients with non-ARDS, lung recruitment maneuvers, prone position ventilation, muscle relaxants, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), glucocorticoids, blood purification, red blood cell (RBC) transfusion, immunoglobulin, stress ulcer prevention, prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE), renal replacement therapy, glycemic management, vitamin C, sodium bicarbonate therapy, nutrition, treatment goals, palliative care, peer support groups, transition of care, screening economic and social support, education for the knowledge about sepsis to the patients and their families, common decision-making, discharge planning, cognitive therapy and follow-up after discharge. It is convenient for everyone to understand some views in the field of sepsis and septic shock, and deepen their understanding.