Table 1 Inclusion criteria for sepsis

General parameters

• Hyperthermia (> 38.3 °C) or hypothermia (< 36.0 °C)

• Tachycardia (heart rate > 90 beats/min)

• Tachypnea (respiratory rate higher than 30 breaths/min)

• Altered mental status

• Significant edema or positive fluid balance > 0 ml/kg over a 24-h period)

• Hyperglycemia in the absence of diabetes (plasma glucose > 110 mg/dl)

Inflammatory parameters

• Lleukocytosis or leukopenia (white blood cell count > 12,000/mm³ or < 4000 mm³), normal white blood cell count with a percentage of immature forms > 10%

• Plasma C-reactive protein more than 2 standard deviations above the normal value

• Plasma procalcitonina more than 2 standard deviations above the normal value

Hemodynamic parameters

• Arterial hypotension: systolic blood pressure < 90 mm Hg, mean arterial blood pressure < 70 mm Hg, or decrease of systolic blood pressure from the baseline to > 40 mm Hg)

• Mixed venous oxygen saturation > 70%

• Cardiac index > 3.5 l/min/m²

Organ dysfunction

• Arterial hypoxemia (pressure of arterial oxygen/fraction inspired oxygen (PaO₂/FIO₂) ratio < 300)

• Acute oliguria (urine output < 0.5 ml/kg/h for at least 2 h)

• Creatinine increase of 0.5 mg/dl or more

• Coagulation abnormalities defined as international normalized ratio (INR) > 1.5 or activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) > 60 s

• Ileus (absent bowel sounds)

• Thrombocytopenia (platelet count < 100,000/μl)

• Hyperbilirubinemia (plasma total bilirubin > 4 mg/dl)

Tissue perfusion parameters

• Hyperlactatemia (> 3 mmol/l)

• Decreased capillary refill or mottling