Managing sepsis and septic shock in an endothelial glycocalyx-friendly way: from the viewpoint of surviving sepsis campaign guidelines

Toshiaki Iba; Cheryl L Maier; Julie Helms; Ricard Ferrer; Jecko Thachil; Jerrold H Levy

doi:10.1186/s13613-024-01301-6

Managing sepsis and septic shock in an endothelial glycocalyx-friendly way: from the viewpoint of surviving sepsis campaign guidelines

Ann Intensive Care. 2024 Apr 24;14(1):64. doi: 10.1186/s13613-024-01301-6.

Authors

Toshiaki Iba¹, Cheryl L Maier², Julie Helms³, Ricard Ferrer⁴, Jecko Thachil⁵, Jerrold H Levy⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan. toshiiba@juntendo.ac.jp.
² Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
³ Strasbourg University Hospital, Medical Intensive Care Unit-NHC, INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research), UMR 1260, Regenerative Nanomedicine (RNM), FMTS, Strasbourg University (UNISTRA), Strasbourg, France.
⁴ Intensive Care Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
⁵ Department of Haematology, Manchester University Hospitals, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK.
⁶ Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.

Abstract

Maintaining tissue perfusion in sepsis depends on vascular integrity provided by the endothelial glycocalyx, the critical layer covering the luminal surface of blood vessels. The glycocalyx is composed of proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycans, and functional plasma proteins that are critical for antithrombogenicity, regulating tone, controlling permeability, and reducing endothelial interactions with leukocytes and platelets. Degradation of the glycocalyx in sepsis is substantial due to thromboinflammation, and treatments for sepsis and septic shock may exacerbate endotheliopathy via additional glycocalyx injury. As a result, therapeutic strategies aimed at preserving glycocalyx integrity should be considered, including modifications in fluid volume resuscitation, minimizing catecholamine use, controlling hyperglycemia, and potential use of corticosteroids and anticoagulants. In this review, we explore treatment strategies aligned with the recommendations outlined in the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines 2021 with a special emphasis on evidence regarding glycocalyx protection.

Keywords: Endothelial cell; Glycocalyx; Microvasculature; Sepsis; Shock; Syndecan.

Publication types

Review