Arterial Blood Pressure-complexity in Septic Patients

Arterial blood pressure (ABP) is regulated by multiple, interconnected feedback loops resulting in a variable and complex time course. According to the "decomplexification theory of illness", disease is characterised by a loss or impaired function of feedback loops resulting in a decreased complexity of the ABP-time course and an impaired adaptability of the cardiovascular system. Decomplexification of physiologic parameters has been shown to occur in coronary heart disease, Parkinson's and Hodgkin's disease, and in subarachnoid hemorrhage, but has not been evaluated in sepsis. This study is intended to test the hypothesis that complexity of ABP * is lower in cardiac surgery versus non-cardiac surgery septic patients, * decreases as severity of sepsis increases to severe sepsis and septic shock, * is associated with outcome three month after sepsis.