1) Haemodynamic status | Mean arterial pressure : | <55 mmHg |
 | Inotropic support: after failure of maximal dosages of dopamine | as last step, epinephrine was used up to |
 |    (1 st step) (15 μg/kg/min), dobutamine-epinephrine (2d step) | 0.5 μg/kg/min for more than 2 h without |
 |    (15 μ/kg/min and 1 μg/kg/min respectively). | results. |
 | Cardiac index | <2 l/min/m2 |
 | Wedge pressure | >14<18 mmHg |
2) Acid-base balance | Arterial pH | <7.15 |
 | Serum lactate | >5 mmol/l |
3) Septic status | SIRS criteria | 3 out of 4 |
 | Objective source of sepsis | Always present |
4) Respiratory support | Mechanical ventilation | All the patients |
 | paO2/FiO2 ratio | <100 |
5) Renal status | Â | No incidence on the inclusion criteria |