Rationale for the use of Gene Therapy for Critical Illness

Management of critically ill patients includes many challenges for physicians dedicated to their care. Treating these patients is complex, not only because of the acute and continuously changing manifestations of severe illnesses, but also because of the various complications that arise from invasive monitoring and therapy. Much progress has been made since the advent of Intensive Care Units (ICUs), mainly through improved supportive care. Even though current ICU care has translated into a reduction in ICU mortality, not much ground has been gained in the management of the specific disease processes that contribute to ICU mortality. Among these disease processes, acute lung injury (ALI) and its more severe form, the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), septic shock and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) are clearly the most common contributors to unfavorable outcomes. Despite the institution of standard therapy aimed at the underlying process, many patients die secondary to the deleterious effects of the exaggerated systemic inflammatory response and end-organ damage seen in these disease states.