Sepsis

Abstract

Sepsis is a complex syndrome with a wide spectrum of severity, is a common cause of death worldwide, and has easily treatable but has masked symptoms. These symptoms include decreased urination, changes in mental status, low platelets (blood clotting factors), breathing problems, abnormal heart functions, chills due to low body temperature or fever, and weakness. “Sepsis Six” resuscitation bundle of care, initiated in 2004, was used to raise awareness among hospital staff and improve the management of patients with sepsis. Bundles are groups of therapies built around the best evidence-based guidelines, which, when implemented together, produce greater benefit in terms of outcome than the individual therapeutic interventions. Upon presentation in the Emergency Room, six specific areas of sepsis care are outlined: intravenous fluids, blood cultures, antibiotics (after the blood cultures are drawn), a lactate level, oxygen, and urine output. The target population is ages 45-64 year-old patients presenting to the Emergency Room. Compliance with a bundle implies achieving all the specified goals in that bundle. The research of our study found that patients who receive the entire bundle had a crude mortality of 11.1%, which is 18.2% lower than those who received only some or none of the bundle components.