On Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, the “Sepsis Trieste” congress will be held at the Generali Convention Center, Warehouse 28 - Porto Vecchio Trieste, aiming to update Italian clinicians on all aspects of sepsis management through talks by leading national and international experts.

The congress, sponsored by the University of Trieste and the Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano-Isontina, is organized by Prof. Gianni Biolo, professor of Internal Medicine at the Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences at UniTS and director of the UCO of Clinical Medicine at Cattinara Hospital, Dr. Filippo Mearelli, medical director at the same facility, and Dr. Filippo Giorgio Di Girolamo, pharmacist director at the SC Hospital and Territorial Pharmacy at Cattinara Hospital.

For the second time, the top leaders of the major societies and international scientific bodies involved in the study of this disease - the International Sepsis Forum, Sepsis-3 task force, Surviving Sepsis Campaign, and World Health Organization - will be simultaneously present in Trieste.

Speakers and auditors attending the congress come from all specialty areas involved in the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis.

Sepsis is an uncontrolled response of the immune system to an infection that can lead to acute organ dysfunction and shock endangering the patient's life. It is an unfortunately common clinical condition that is a global medical emergency.

The incidence and mortality associated with sepsis vary substantially among regions of the world. It is estimated that sepsis is responsible for about 20% of global deaths. In Italy it affects at least 60,000 people each year with a very high mortality rate. It can affect anyone, although those most exposed are those with lowered immune defenses such as the elderly but also people whose immune systems are compromised by other diseases or immunosuppressive drug therapies.

Sepsis is a time-dependent condition, and timely and appropriate diagnosis and treatment are essential for patient survival. Bacteria cause sepsis in most cases, but other germs such as viruses (including COVID-19 and influenza) and mycetes can also be triggers. Diagnosis must be timely. Unfortunately, very often even at the end of clinical work up a “certain” diagnosis is not reached: this happens because there is still no diagnostic gold standard for sepsis.

Treatment is based on early administration of antibiotics and prompt transfer to intensive care in case of aggravation. The incidence of sepsis has increased by about 100 percent in recent years in relation to the increase in the average age of the European population. Currently, most patients with sepsis are managed outside intensive care units, mainly in emergency and internal medicine facilities. These will have to prepare for future epidemiological developments in terms of intensified monitoring and treatment capabilities.