Background

Sepsis is defined as a whole-body inflammatory response to an infection [1]. It occurs in millions of people yearly worldwide, with mortality rates up to 25 percent [2, 3]. Sepsis carries the greatest burden on developing countries in terms of mortality, as compared to the developed world [4]. In the last few years, management modalities of sepsis were revolutionized in the developed world [1-5], but not in the developing world where resources are limited. Many efforts and suggestions have been made in order to improve the outcome of sepsis in underprivileged countries. A “three delays” model highlighting the importance of early-diagnosing and triage, adequate resuscitation, and monitoring and reassessment has been proposed recently when dealing with septic patients in resource limited countries [7]. There is a paucity of studies regarding sepsis in Lebanon. This review article aims at describing the burden of sepsis in Lebanon, as well as sharing our personal experience and research findings at the American University of Beirut Medical center (AUBMC), a tertiary care academic center in Beirut, Lebanon.