Coagulation cascade in sepsis: getting from bench to bedside?

The relationship between blood coagulation factors and the promotion or inhibition of the antiinflammatory response continues to be defined through basic research. The potential key role of blood coagulation factors in the response during sepsis provides an exciting potential mechanism(s) for modification through the application of new therapies. The complexity of the potential multiple actions of the proteins, such as protein C, should allow for development of new therapies to minimize the detrimental inflammatory response. However, several gaps in our current understanding must be bridged before the clinician can take the basic knowledge ‘to the bedside’, where individual patients will benefit.