ABSTRACT
The presence (probable or documented) of infection together with systemic manifestations such as (a) general: fever >38.3°C or <36°C, heart rate >90/min,
tachypnoea >20/min or hyperventilation with PaCO2 <32 mmHg (4.2 kPa), confusion
(b) inflammatory: WBC >12×109/L, <4×109/L or >10% immature band forms; raised CRP or procalcitonin
(c) haemodynamic: SBP <90 mmHg or MAP <70 mmHg (d) organ dysfunction: hypoxia, oliguria, coagulopathy,
thrombocytopaenia, hyperbilirubinaemia, ileus (e) tissue hypoperfusion: raised lactate >1 mmol/L, decreased
capillary refill, or skin mottling.
