Physiologic Failure: Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome

Abstract

Functional integrity of complex organisms (including man) requires physiological adap-tation to ordinary and extraordinary stress. When stress exceeds adaptive capacity, one or more physiologic systems "fails"; without intervention, the organism dies. Clinical medi-cine offers system-specific supports that have proven necessary but often insufficient to promote recovery of function despite anatomic integrity and relief from the inciting stress. Either the underlying relationships of the physiological adaptive systems have been substantially altered or the depth of the basin of attraction described as multiple or-gan dysfunction is sufficiently deep to make escape improbable using current organ sup-port strategies. Experimental alternative organ system support strategies that emulate healthy biological variability have accelerated recovery of dysfunctional organ systems.