Sepsis is a major clinical challenge with high mortality and morbidity worldwide. Sepsis is characterized by the dysregulated host response to an infection followed by organ dysfunction. Early sepsis mortality has diminished with advances in intensive care management and goal-directed interventions, only to surge after recovery from acute events, which prompts a search for sepsis-induced alterations in immune function. When suffered from sepsis, patients may have evidence of hyper-inflammation and immunosuppression. There are no high-quality evidence examining the effect of intravenous (IV) immunoglobulins or other immune modulators on the outcomes of patients with sepsis or septic shock. YiQiFuMai Injection (YQFM) is a redeveloped preparation based on the traditional Chinese medicine formula Sheng-Mai-San, which is widely used in clinical practice in China, mainly for the microcirculatory disturbance-related diseases. YQFM is proved to be effective for treating sepsis (unpublished data). And several researches reveal that YQFM attenuates acute respiratory distress syndrome and lipopolysaccharide-induced microvascular disturbance in vitro.~The purpose of this study is to explore the adjunctive treatment effect of YQFM to prognosis, immune dysfunction and organ dysfunction of sepsis.
This is a prospective single center pilot randomized controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of YiQiFuMai injection (YQFM), a widely used Chinese medicine, as an adjunctive treatment for sepsis.