MORE for multiple organ dysfunction syndrome: Multiple Organ REanimation, REgeneration, and REprogramming.

Abstract

Those who care for the critically ill and injured rightfully celebrate the advances made by our field over its first 50 yrs. Advances in systems, tissue, and molecular engineering, together defined as "health engineering," will provide unprecedented opportunities to treat multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in the 21st century. In the future, Multiple Organ REanimation, REgeneration, and REprogramming will be responsible for new treatment approaches for those with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome; several examples are presented here. Thus, as we spent the first 50 yrs of care for the critical ill and injured learning how best to hook humans up to machines, we will spend the next 50 yrs understanding better how to liberate patients from mechanical support. It is difficult to know when these advances will be realized given that the rate of change continues to increase and the seemingly impossible goal of reprogramming fully differentiated cells was accomplished recently by manipulating a few transcription factors. It is not unrealistic to expect that in the next couple of decades that it will be possible to dedifferentiate dysfunctional somatic cells in vivo to a more robust, resistant cell phenotype. Our future should be aimed in part at refining our skill sets and refocusing (even rebranding) critical care as health engineering aimed at Multiple Organ REanimation, REgeneration, and REprogramming.