MODS treatment is multifactorial and depends on the inciting event and type of organ damage.
- People with widespread infection and sepsis need antibiotics.
- People who develop respiratory failure need to be placed on a ventilator and sedated to rest the lungs.
- Medications called vasopressors are often required to maintain a person’s blood pressure and tissue perfusion.
- People are typically treated with intravenous fluids, but healthcare providers need to delicately balance a person’s acid-base status and electrolytes when using intravenous fluids.
- Problems with the hematologic system need to be treated based on whether a person is bleeding too much or clotting too much. Sometimes people require blood or platelet transfusions.
- People with severe injuries may need surgery.
A more complex and high-tech treatment is extracorporeal organ support (ECOS). ECOS involves using a machine to extract blood from the body and process it with medications before replacing it. These systems can bypass different organs depending on the needed treatment. The most common of these systems is a hemodialysis machine that bypasses the kidneys.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) involves a machine that functions as an artificial lung. It is increasingly used as a treatment to rest the lungs and heart.
A molecular absorbent recirculating system (MARS) can support the liver.