BACKGROUND: Severe sepsis and septic shock are a major health concern worldwide. The objective of this study is to determine if Severe Sepsis Best Practice Alert (SS-BPA) implementation was associated with improved processes of care and clinical outcomes among patients with severe sepsis or septic shock presenting to the emergency department (ED).
METHODS: This is a single-center, before-and-after observational study. The intervention group (n = 103) consisted of adult patients presenting to the ED with severe sepsis or septic shock during a 7-month period after implementation of the SS-BPA. The control group (n = 111) consisted of patients meeting the same criteria over a prior 7-month period. The SS-BPA primarily acts by automated, real-time, algorithm-based detection of severe sepsis or septic shock via the electronic medical record system. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay (LOS), time to antibiotic administration, and proportion of patients who received antibiotics within the target 60 minutes.
RESULTS: Time to antibiotics was significantly reduced in the SS-BPA cohort (29 vs 61.5 minutes, P < .001). In addition, there was a higher proportion of patients who received antibiotics within 60 minutes (76.7 vs 48.6%; P < .001). On multivariable analysis, in-hospital mortality was not significantly reduced in the intervention group (odds ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-1.57). Multivariable analysis of LOS indicated a significant reduction among patients in the SS-BPA cohort (geometric mean ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.82).
CONCLUSION: Implementation of the SS-BPA for severe sepsis or septic shock among ED patients is associated with significantly improved timeliness of antibiotic administration and reduced hospital LOS.
BACKGROUND: The Surviving Sepsis Campaign recommends initiating broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment within 1 hour of septic shock recognition. However, there is controversy regarding this owing to contradictory studies. This study investigated the relationship between the antibiotic administration interval and 28-day mortality in septic shock patients treated with an early quantitative resuscitation protocol in an emergency department (ED).
METHODS: 715 consecutive septic shock patients were prospectively collected from January 2010 to December 2012. Of these, 426 patients developed shock at or after initial assessment, and the time of initial antibiotic administration was recorded. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality.
RESULTS: The median antibiotic administration interval was 91.5 (47.0-158.0) minutes, and the 28-day mortality was 20.0%. Mortality did not change with hourly delays in antibiotic administration up to 5 hours after shock recognition: 1 hour (odds ratio [OR]: 0.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.45-1.45), 2 hours (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.40-1.29) and 3 hours (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.30-1.25). However, inability to achieve early resuscitation goals (OR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.07-3.51), sequential organ failure assessment score (OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.17-1.44) and lactic acid concentration (OR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.11-2.49) were significantly associated with an increased risk of 28-day mortality.
CONCLUSIONS: Among septic shock patients who underwent early quantitative resuscitation in an ED, mortality did not increase with hourly delays in antibiotic administration. These data call into question the strength of the association between hourly delays in antibiotic administration and mortality in septic shock patients.
INTRODUCTION: Emergency nurses play a key role in the initial triage and care of patients with potentially life-threatening illnesses. The aims of this study were to (1) evaluate the impact of a nurse-initiated ED sepsis protocol on time to initial antibiotic administration, (2) ascertain compliance with 3-hour Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) targets, and (3) identify predictors of in-hospital sepsis mortality.
METHODS: A retrospective chart review investigated all adult patients-admitted through either of 2 academic tertiary medical center emergency departments-who were discharged with a diagnosis of severe sepsis or septic shock (N = 195). Pre- and post-protocol implementation data examined both compliance with 3-hour SSC bundle targets and patient outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified predictors of in-hospital mortality.
RESULTS: Serum lactate measurement (83.9% vs 98.7%, P = .003) and median time to initial antibiotic administration (135 minutes vs 108 minutes, P = .021) improved significantly after protocol implementation. However, one quarter of antibiotic administration times still exceeded the 3-hour target. Significant predictors of in-hospital mortality were respiratory dysfunction, central nervous system dysfunction, urinary tract infection, vasopressor administration, and patient body weight (P < .05). There were no in-hospital mortality rate differences between the pre- and post-protocol implementation groups.
DISCUSSION: Compliance with serum lactate measurement and blood culture collection goals approached 100% in the post-protocol group. However, compliance with medical interventions requiring multiple health care-provider involvement (ie, antibiotic and fluid administration) remained suboptimal. Efforts focused on multidisciplinary bundle elements are necessary to achieve full compliance with SSC targets.
OBJECTIVES: To analyse the association between time from triage to administration of initial antibiotics and mortality in all patients presenting with sepsis to a tertiary hospital ED.
METHODS: A retrospective review of patients presenting to the ED with sepsis from January to December 2012 was conducted at Flinders Medical Centre, South Australia. Outcome measures were: time elapsed from triage to administration of initial antibiotic therapy and in-hospital mortality.
RESULTS: A total of 220 patients presented with sepsis, comprising 102 cases of uncomplicated sepsis and 118 severe sepsis. The median time to antibiotic administration was 3.5 h (interquartile range [IQR] 1.7-6.6) and in-hospital mortality was 28.6% (95% CI 22.6-34.6%). There was no association observed between delays to antibiotics and mortality in the total patient population. When stratified by presenting severity, patients with severe sepsis demonstrated a trend towards increased mortality when delays to antibiotics exceeded 6 h from triage (HR = 2.25, 95% CI 0.91-5.59, P = 0.08) in comparison with <1 h. Significant delays to antibiotic administration occurred when initial agents were charted as a 'regular medicine' (9.4 h, IQR 5.1-16.6) in comparison with a 'once only order' (3.4 h, IQR 1.7-6.7), P < 0.001.
CONCLUSIONS: Early administration of antibiotics specifically in patients with severe sepsis might be beneficial. Further studies within the ED are warranted to establish the effect of delayed antibiotics in a generalised sepsis cohort.
INTRODUCTION: In early sepsis stages, optimal treatment could contribute to prevention of progression to severe sepsis. Therefore, we investigated if there was an association between time to antibiotics and relevant clinical outcomes in hospitalized emergency department (ED) patients with mild to severe sepsis stages.
METHODS: This is a prospective multicenter study in three Dutch EDs. Patients were stratified into three categories of illness severity, as assessed by the predisposition, infection, response, and organ failure (PIRO) score: PIRO score 1 to 7, 8 to 14 and >14 points, reflected low, intermediate, and high illness severity, respectively. Consecutive hospitalized ED patients with a suspected infection who were treated with intravenous antibiotics were eligible to participate in the study. The primary outcome measure was the number of surviving days outside the hospital at day 28 which was used as an inverse measure of hospital length of stay (LOS). The secondary outcome measure was 28-day mortality, taking into account the time to mortality. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to estimate the association between time to antibiotics and the primary and secondary outcome measures corrected for confounders, including appropriateness of antibiotics and initial ED resuscitation, in three categories of illness severity.
RESULTS: Of the 1,168 included patients, 112 died (10%), while 85% and 95% received antibiotics within three and six hours, respectively. No association between time to antibiotics and surviving days outside the hospital or mortality was found. Only in PIRO group 1 to 7 was delayed administration of antibiotics (>3 hours) associated with an increase in surviving days outside the hospital at day 28 (hazard ratio: 1.46, 95% confidence interval: 1.05 to 2.02 after correction for potential confounders).
CONCLUSIONS: In ED patients with mild to severe sepsis who received antibiotics within six hours after ED presentation, a reduction in time to antibiotics was not found to be associated with an improvement in relevant clinical outcomes.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of antibiotic regimens and time to antibiotics in septic patients admitted to an intensive care unit from the emergency department.
METHODS: A retrospective case-control study of patients with sepsis syndromes admitted from the emergency department between August 2010 and July 2011 was conducted. Standard demographic information, time frames for written antibiotic orders and administration, and information regarding site of culture, organisms identified, sensitivities, and antibiotic effectiveness were documented.
RESULTS: Four hundred medical records were reviewed; 184 patients met the study inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Simplified Acute Physiology Scores II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores were 49 and 6, respectively, and overall in-hospital mortality was 20.7%. Patients with positive blood cultures had higher Simplified Acute Physiology Scores II scores (56.0 vs 46.0, P = .0125). Serum lactate levels were also significantly higher in the in-hospital mortality group (3.2 vs 2.1, P = .0068). Computerized physician order entry dramatically decreased the median times to the last appropriate antibiotic administration (3.183 hours vs 6.992 hours, P < .0001) but did not alter mortality (20.6% vs 20.8%). Appropriateness of empiric antibiotic regimens was similar between patients surviving and those who died during their hospital stay (63.5% vs 68.8%, P = .58).
CONCLUSIONS: Median times to the first antibiotic administration and last needed appropriate antibiotic administration were less than 3 and 5 hours, respectively; these times were similar between patients who survived and those who died during their hospital stay. Patients with a serum lactate level higher than 2.5 mmol/L were associated with a 2.5-times increased risk of mortality.
BACKGROUND: Current evidence suggests that administration of appropriate antibiotic therapy within 1 h after the onset of hypotension significantly improves mortality rates among patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the interval from recognition of severe sepsis or septic shock in inpatients to initial administration of antibiotic and to assess institutional compliance with the Surviving Sepsis Campaign's recommendation for early antibiotic therapy.
METHODS: A 6-month retrospective chart analysis was conducted to determine the interval from documented onset of hypotension to initial administration of antibiotic for patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Patients who were admitted to a general medicine ward, a surgery ward, or the intensive care unit (ICU) of a 475-bed university-affiliated hospital and who met the criteria for severe sepsis or septic shock were eligible for inclusion. Patients who received antibiotics before meeting the criteria for severe sepsis or septic shock were excluded.
RESULTS: Charts for 100 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock were reviewed. The mean age was 69.0 years (standard deviation 18.7 years), and 56% were men. The median interval from onset of severe sepsis or septic shock to administration of antibiotic was 4.00 h (interquartile range [IQR] 1.80-6.45 h). The median interval from the time a physician ordered an antibiotic to administration of the drug was 1.28 h (IQR 0.57-3.05 h). The interval between ordering and administration differed significantly for patients on the wards (5.67 h), those with onset in the ICU (4.00 h), and those with onset in the emergency department (3.28 h) (p = 0.039). The overall survival rate was 56%.
CONCLUSION: At the study hospital, the interval from onset of severe sepsis or septic shock to initial administration of antibiotic to inpatients exceeded the 1-h period recommended by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign. These results will be used as a baseline for future quality assurance and improvement initiatives aimed at minimizing the time to antibiotic administration for this group of patients, who are at high risk of death.
BACKGROUND: There is ample literature available on the association between both time to antibiotics and appropriateness of antibiotics and clinical outcomes from sepsis. In fact, the current state of debate surrounds the balance to be struck between prompt empirical therapy and care in the choice of appropriate antibiotics (both in terms of the susceptibility of infecting organism and minimizing resistance arising from use of broad-spectrum agents). The objective of this study is to determine sepsis bundle compliance and the appropriateness of antimicrobial therapy in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock and its impact on outcomes.
MATERIAL: This study was conducted in the ICU of a tertiary care, private hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. A retrospective cohort study was conducted from July 2005 to December 2012 in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.
RESULTS: A total of 1,279 patients were identified with severe sepsis and septic shock, of which 358 (32.1%) had bloodstream infection (BSI). The inpatient mortality rate was 29%. In evaluation of the sepsis bundle, over time there was a progressive increase in serum arterial lactate collection, obtaining blood cultures prior to antibiotic administration, administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics within 1 hour, and administration of appropriate antimicrobials, with statistically significant differences in the later years of the study. We also observed a significant decrease in mortality. In patients with bloodstream infection, after adjustment for other covariates the administration of appropriate antimicrobial therapy was associated with a decrease in mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock (p = 0.023).
CONCLUSIONS: The administration of appropriate antimicrobial therapy was independently associated with a decline in mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock due to bloodstream infection. As protocol adherence increased over time, the crude mortality rate decreased, which reinforces the need to implement institutional guidelines and monitor appropriate antimicrobial therapy compliance.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the effect of timely antibiotic administration on outcomes in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.
METHODS: We analyzed data from a sepsis registry that included adult patients who initially presented to the emergency department (ED) and met criteria for severe sepsis or septic shock. Timely antibiotic use was defined as administration of a broad-spectrum antibiotic within three hours from the time of ED arrival. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to assess associations between timely administration of antibiotics and outcomes, including hospital mortality, 48-hour change in Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (delta SOFA), and hospital length of stay (LOS).
RESULTS: A total of 591 patients were included in the study. In-hospital mortality was 16.9% for patients receiving timely antibiotics (n=377) and 22.9% for patients receiving delayed antibiotics (n=214; P=0.04). The adjusted odds ratio for in-hospital survival was 0.54 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34 to 0.87; P=0.01) in patients who received timely antibiotics. Timely antibiotic administration was also significantly associated with higher delta SOFA (2 vs. 1) and shorter hospital LOS among survivors (11 days vs. 15 days). Multivariable linear regression analyses showed that timely antibiotic administration was significantly associated with increased delta SOFA and decreased hospital LOS.
CONCLUSION: Antibiotic administration within three hours from the time of ED arrival was significantly associated with improved outcomes, including in-hospital survival, reversal of organ failure, and shorter hospital LOS, in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.
The present study aimed to investigate whether low-dose heparin improves the condition of patients suffering from early disseminated intravascular coagulation (pre-DIC) during sepsis. In total, 37 patients were randomly divided into low-dose heparin intervention and control groups. The heparin group received a low-dose of heparin for 5-7 days, while the other group received only saline. The two groups were treated for sepsis. Blood samples were collected at various times and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE)-II scores were recorded at day 1 and 7. In addition, the number of days applying mechanical ventilation and in the intensive care unit (ICU) were recorded, as well as the 28-day mortality rate. APACHE-II scores in the two groups decreased following treatment, however, scores in the heparin group decreased more significantly. Prothrombin fragment and thrombin-antithrombin complex levels in the heparin group were significantly decreased. In addition, the number of days applying a ventilator was fewer and the total stay in ICU was significantly shorter compared with the control group. Significantly fewer complications were observed in the heparin group, however, there was no significant difference in the 28-day mortality rate. In conclusion, low-dose heparin improves the hypercoagulable state of sepsis, which subsequently reduces the incidence of DIC or multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, decreasing the number of days of mechanical ventilation and hospitalization.
Severe sepsis and septic shock are a major health concern worldwide. The objective of this study is to determine if Severe Sepsis Best Practice Alert (SS-BPA) implementation was associated with improved processes of care and clinical outcomes among patients with severe sepsis or septic shock presenting to the emergency department (ED).
METHODS:
This is a single-center, before-and-after observational study. The intervention group (n = 103) consisted of adult patients presenting to the ED with severe sepsis or septic shock during a 7-month period after implementation of the SS-BPA. The control group (n = 111) consisted of patients meeting the same criteria over a prior 7-month period. The SS-BPA primarily acts by automated, real-time, algorithm-based detection of severe sepsis or septic shock via the electronic medical record system. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay (LOS), time to antibiotic administration, and proportion of patients who received antibiotics within the target 60 minutes.
RESULTS:
Time to antibiotics was significantly reduced in the SS-BPA cohort (29 vs 61.5 minutes, P < .001). In addition, there was a higher proportion of patients who received antibiotics within 60 minutes (76.7 vs 48.6%; P < .001). On multivariable analysis, in-hospital mortality was not significantly reduced in the intervention group (odds ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-1.57). Multivariable analysis of LOS indicated a significant reduction among patients in the SS-BPA cohort (geometric mean ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.82).
CONCLUSION:
Implementation of the SS-BPA for severe sepsis or septic shock among ED patients is associated with significantly improved timeliness of antibiotic administration and reduced hospital LOS.
