ED Door-to-Antibiotic Time and Long-term Mortality in Sepsis

Validation and comparison of triage-based screening strategies for sepsis

OBJECTIVE

This study sought to externally validate and compare proposed methods for stratifying sepsis risk at emergency department (ED) triage.

METHODS

This nested case/control study enrolled ED patients from four hospitals in Utah and evaluated the performance of previously-published sepsis risk scores amenable to use at ED triage based on their area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC, which balances positive predictive value and sensitivity) and area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC, which balances sensitivity and specificity). Score performance for predicting whether patients met Sepsis-3 criteria in the ED was compared to patients' assigned ED triage score (Canadian Triage Acuity Score [CTAS]) with adjustment for multiple comparisons.

RESULTS

Among 2000 case/control patients, 981 met Sepsis-3 criteria on final adjudication. The best performing sepsis risk scores were the Predict Sepsis version #3 (AUPRC 0.183, 95 % CI 0.148-0.256; AUROC 0.859, 95 % CI 0.843-0.875) and Borelli scores (AUPRC 0.127, 95 % CI 0.107-0.160, AUROC 0.845, 95 % CI 0.829-0.862), which significantly outperformed CTAS (AUPRC 0.038, 95 % CI 0.035-0.042, AUROC 0.650, 95 % CI 0.628-0.671, p < 0.001 for all AUPRC and AUROC comparisons). The Predict Sepsis and Borelli scores exhibited sensitivity of 0.670 and 0.678 and specificity of 0.902 and 0.834, respectively, at their recommended cutoff values and outperformed Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria (AUPRC 0.083, 95 % CI 0.070-0.102, p = 0.052 and p = 0.078, respectively; AUROC 0.775, 95 % CI 0.756-0.795, p < 0.001 for both scores).

CONCLUSIONS

The Predict Sepsis and Borelli scores exhibited improved performance including increased specificity and positive predictive values for sepsis identification at ED triage compared to CTAS and SIRS criteria.

Review: sepsis guidelines and core measure bundles

Sepsis is a major cause of mortality worldwide and is the third-leading cause of death in the United States. Sepsis is resource-intensive and requires prompt recognition and treatment to reduce mortality. The impact of sepsis is not only on in-hospital survival but extends into post-discharge quality of life and risk of re-admission. As the understanding of sepsis physiology evolved, so have the recommended screening tools and treatment protocol which challenge prior standards of care. There have been noteworthy efforts by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to establish core measure bundles. This review highlights both the 2021 SSC International Guidelines and the 2015 CMS Severe Sepsis/Septic Shock Core Measure Bundle, or SEP-1. Notably, the SEP-1 bundle was implemented as a value-based purchasing program, linking care of sepsis patients to financial incentives. The objective is to explore the most current evidence-based data to inform clinical practice while utilizing the available guidelines as a roadmap.

Early identification and diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment of sepsis-related acute lung injury: a narrative review

Background and Objective

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction, and the most common and vulnerable organ is the lungs, with sepsis-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) increasing mortality. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have improved our understanding of sepsis-related ARDS in terms of epidemiology, risk factors, pathophysiology, prognosis, and other aspects, as well as our ability to prevent, detect, and treat sepsis-related ARDS. However, sepsis-related lung injury remains an important issue and clinical burden. Therefore, a literature review was conducted on sepsis-related lung injury in order to further guide clinical practice in reducing the acute and chronic consequences of this condition.

Methods

This study conducted a search of the MEDLINE and PubMed databases, among others for literature published from 1991 to 2023 using the following keywords: definition of sepsis, acute lung injury, sepsis-related acute lung injury, epidemiology, risk factors, early diagnosis of sepsis-related acute lung injury, sepsis, ARDS, pathology and physiology, inflammatory imbalance caused by sepsis, congenital immune response, and treatment.

Key Content and Findings

This review explored the risk factors of sepsis, sepsis-related ARDS, early screening and diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment and found that in view of the high mortality rate of ARDS associated with sepsis. In response to the high mortality rate of sepsis-related ARDS, some progress has been made, such as rapid identification of sepsis and effective antibiotic treatment, early fluid resuscitation, lung-protective ventilation, etc.

Conclusions

Sepsis remains a common and challenging critical illness to cure. In response to the high mortality rate of sepsis-related ARDS, progress has been made in rapid sepsis identification, effective antibiotic treatment, early fluid resuscitation, and lung-protective ventilation. However, further research is needed regarding long-term effects such as lung recruitment, prone ventilation, and the application of neuromuscular blocking agents and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

State of the art of sepsis care for the emergency medicine clinician

Sepsis impacts 1.7 million Americans annually. It is a life-threatening disruption of organ function because of the body's host response to infection. Sepsis remains a condition frequently encountered in emergency departments (ED) with an estimated 850,000 annual visits affected by sepsis each year in the United States. The pillars of managing sepsis remain timely identification, initiation of antimicrobials while aiming for source control and resuscitation with a goal of restoring tissue perfusion. The focus herein is current evidence and best practice recommendations for state-of-the-art sepsis care that begins in the ED.

Door-to-antibiotic time and mortality in patients with sepsis: Systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate whether the timing of initial antibiotic administration in patients with sepsis in hospital affects mortality.

METHODS

This systematic review and meta-analysis included studies from inception up to 19 May 2022. Interventional and observational studies including adult human patients with suspected or confirmed sepsis and reported time of antibiotic administration with mortality were included. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers. Summary estimates were calculated by using random-effects model. The primary outcome was mortality.

RESULTS

We included 42 studies comprising 190,896 patients with sepsis. Pooled data showed that the OR for patient mortality who received antibiotics ≤1 hr was 0.83 (95 %CI: 0.67 to 1.04) when compared with patients who received antibiotics >1hr. Significant reductions in the risk of death in patients with earlier antibiotic administration were observed in patients ≤3 hrs versus >3 hrs (OR: 0.80, 95 %CI: 0.68 to 0.94) and ≤6 hrs vs 6 hrs (OR: 0.57, 95 %CI: 0.39 to 0.82).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings show an improvement in mortality in sepsis patients with early administration of antibiotics at <3 and <6 hrs. Thus, these results suggest that antibiotics should be administered within 3 hrs of sepsis recognition or ED arrival regardless of the presence or absence of shock.

Toward Standardization and High Reliability: Improved Sepsis Screening in Emergency Department Triage Across an Academic Health System

BACKGROUND

Sepsis is a life-threatening emergency, and early recognition and treatment in the emergency department (ED) is critical to improving outcomes.

METHODS

The authors implemented an interdisciplinary quality improvement (QI) project to standardize sepsis screening workflow across an academic health system consisting of a large tertiary care urban hospital, one freestanding ED, and two small rural affiliate hospitals (RA-1 and RA-2). The research team used the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Model for Improvement framework, consisting of iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. The primary outcome was rates of screening for sepsis at each site. Secondary outcomes included sepsis mortality and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sepsis bundle (SEP-1) compliance at our main medical center. Primary outcome was assessed using electronic dashboards extracting the ratio of ED encounters with electronic health record (EHR)-documented sepsis screening per total ED encounters. The SEP-1 bundle was assessed as percent compliance, and mortality was calculated as average observed to expected (O:E). Averages were compared from preintervention to after initiating improvements using two-tailed t-tests.

RESULTS

This QI project took place from December 2022 to December 2023 across four EDs that experience around 138,000 visits annually. A standardized workflow was established at ED triage with an EHR-based question and an associated nurse and physician defined response. Preintervention (October 2022 to November 2022) triage rates for sepsis were 1.7% (163/9,560), 25.3% (523/2,068), 11.0% (360/3,272), and 36.5% (915/2,506) at our main hospital, freestanding ED, RA-1, and RA-2, respectively. After four PDSA cycles, triage rates rose to 91.9% (4,927/5,360), 97.5% (1,032/1,059), 99.0% (1,845/1,863), and 97.4% (1,328/1,363), respectively (p < 0.005). Sepsis triage rates rose most slowly at the large academic medical center, where progressive PDSA cycles were needed to achieve > 90% screening for sepsis. Mean O:E mortality was 0.99 for the 9 months of available data preintervention and 0.83 in the 17 months postintervention (p = 0.07). CMS sepsis bundle compliance was 28.4% for the 15 months preintervention and 40.5% in the 17 months postintervention, (p = 0.14).

CONCLUSION

An interdisciplinary QI project leveraged EHR optimization to integrate with human workflows over four PDSA cycles to achieve standardized and improved screening for sepsis in the ED. This resulted in lower sepsis mortality and increased sepsis bundle compliance, though results were not statistically significant.

Development and Validation of the Hospital Medicine Safety Sepsis Initiative Mortality Model

BACKGROUND

When comparing outcomes after sepsis, it is essential to account for patient case mix to make fair comparisons. We developed a model to assess risk-adjusted 30-day mortality in the Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety sepsis initiative (HMS-Sepsis).

RESEARCH QUESTION

Can HMS-Sepsis registry data adequately predict risk of 30-day mortality? Do performance assessments using adjusted vs unadjusted data differ?

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Retrospective cohort of community-onset sepsis hospitalizations in the HMS-Sepsis registry (April 2022-September 2023), with split derivation (70%) and validation (30%) cohorts. We fit a risk-adjustment model (HMS-Sepsis mortality model) incorporating acute physiologic, demographic, and baseline health data and assessed model performance using concordance (C) statistics, Brier scores, and comparisons of predicted vs observed mortality by deciles of risk. We compared hospital performance (first quintile, middle quintiles, fifth quintile) using observed vs adjusted mortality to understand the extent to which risk adjustment impacted hospital performance assessment.

RESULTS

Among 17,514 hospitalizations from 66 hospitals during the study period, 12,260 hospitalizations (70%) were used for model derivation and 5,254 hospitalizations (30%) were used for model validation. Thirty-day mortality for the total cohort was 19.4%. The final model included 13 physiologic variables, two physiologic interactions, and 16 demographic and chronic health variables. The most significant variables were age, metastatic solid tumor, temperature, altered mental status, and platelet count. The model C statistic was 0.82 for the derivation cohort, 0.81 for the validation cohort, and ≥ 0.78 for all subgroups assessed. Overall calibration error was 0.0%, and mean calibration error across deciles of risk was 1.5%. Standardized mortality ratios yielded different assessments than observed mortality for 33.9% of hospitals.

INTERPRETATION

The HMS-Sepsis mortality model showed strong discrimination and adequate calibration and reclassified one-third of hospitals to a different performance category from unadjusted mortality. Based on its strong performance, the HMS-Sepsis mortality model can aid in fair hospital benchmarking, assessment of temporal changes, and observational causal inference analysis.

Development and validation of a community acquired sepsis-worsening score in the adult emergency department: a prospective cohort: the CASC score

BACKGROUND

Sepsis is a leading cause of death and serious illness that requires early recognition and therapeutic management to improve survival. The quick-SOFA score helps in its recognition, but its diagnostic performance is insufficient. To develop a score that can rapidly identify a community acquired septic situation at risk of clinical complications in patients consulting the emergency department (ED).

METHODS

We conducted a monocentric, prospective cohort study in the emergency department of a university hospital between March 2016 and August 2018 (NCT03280992). All patients admitted to the emergency department for a suspicion of a community-acquired infection were included. Predictor variables of progression to septic shock or death within the first 90 days were selected using backward stepwise multivariable logistic regression to develop a clinical score. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to determine the discriminating power of the area under the curve (AUC). We also determined the threshold of our score that optimized the performance required for a sepsis-worsening score. We have compared our score with the NEWS-2 and qSOFA scores.

RESULTS

Among the 21,826 patients admitted to the ED, 796 patients were suspected of having community-acquired infection and 461 met the sepsis criteria; therefore, these patients were included in the analysis. The median [interquartile range] age was 72 [54-84] years, 248 (54%) were males, and 244 (53%) had respiratory symptoms. The clinical score ranged from 0 to 90 and included 8 variables with an area under the ROC curve of 0.85 (confidence interval [CI] 95% 0.81-0.89). A cut-off of 26 yields a sensitivity of 88% (CI 95% 0.79-0.93), a specificity of 62% (CI 95% 57-67), and a negative predictive value of 95% (CI 95% 91-97). The area under the ROC curve for our score was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.81-0.89) versus 0.73 (95% CI, 0.68-0.78) for qSOFA and 0.66 (95% CI, 0.60-0.72) for NEWS-2.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides an accurate clinical score for identifying septic patients consulting the ED early at risk of worsening disease. This score could be implemented at admission.

The effects of delayed appropriate antimicrobial therapy on children with Staphylococcus aureus blood infection

Early appropriate antimicrobial therapy plays a critical role for patients with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (SAB). We aim to determine the optimal time-window for appropriate antimicrobial therapy and evaluate the effects of delayed therapy on adverse clinical outcomes (in-hospital mortality, sepsis, and septic shock) in children with SAB by propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. Receiver-operating characteristic was used to determine the cut-off point of the time to appropriate therapy (TTAT), the patients were divided into timely and delayed appropriate antimicrobial therapy (delayed therapy) groups accordingly. The PSM was used to balance the characteristics between the two groups, controlling the effects of potential confounders. Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards regression were applied to the matched groups to analyze the association between delayed therapy and clinical outcomes. Inverse probability of treatment weighting and propensity score covariate adjustment were also performed to investigate the sensitivity of the results under different propensity score-based approaches. In total, 247 patients were included in this study. The optimal cut-off point of TTAT was identified as 6.4 h, with 85.0% sensitivity and 69.2% specificity (AUC 0.803, 95% confidence interval 0.702-0.904). Eighty-seven (35.22%) of the 247 patients who received delayed therapy (TTAT ≥ 6.4 h) had higher in-hospital mortality (19.54% vs 1.88%, p < 0.001), higher incidences of sepsis (44.83% vs 15.00%, p < 0.001) and septic shock (32.18% vs 6.25%, p < 0.001) when compared to timely therapy (TTAT < 6.4 h) patients. After PSM analysis, a total of 134 episodes (67 in each of the two matched groups) were further analyzed. No statistically significant difference was observed in in-hospital mortality between delayed and timely -therapy groups (log-rank test, P = 0.157). Patients with delayed therapy had a higher incidence of sepsis or septic shock than those with timely therapy (log-rank test, P = 0.009; P = 0.018, respectively). Compared to the timely-therapy group, the hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval in delayed-therapy group were 2.512 (1.227-5.144, P = 0.012) for sepsis, 3.109 (1.166-8.290, P = 0.023) for septic shock.    Conclusion: Appropriate therapy delayed 6.4 h may increase the incidence of sepsis and septic shock, with similar in-hospital mortality in patients with SAB. What is Known: • Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a major cause of bloodstream infections in children. Undoubtedly, early antimicrobial application plays a critical role in the treatment of children with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (SAB). • However, rapid, and aggressive administration of antimicrobials may lead to the overuse of these drugs and the emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the optimal time-window for appropriate antimicrobial administration in children with SAB. Unfortunately, the optimal time-window for appropriate antimicrobial administration in children with SAB remains unclear. What is New: • Determining the optimal time-window for appropriate antimicrobial administration in patients with matched data variables is particularly important. The Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis effectively controls for confounding factors to a considerable extent when assessing the impact of treatment, thereby approximating the effects observed in randomized controlled trials. • To our knowledge, this is the first study using PSM method to assess the effects of delayed appropriate antimicrobial therapy on adverse outcomes in children with SAB. In low-risk populations with SAB, a delay of 6.4 h in appropriate therapy might increase the occurrence rate for sepsis and septic shock; however, no correlation has been found between this delay and an increased risk for hospital mortality.

Dynamic Changes in Soluble Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells-1 in Sepsis with Respect to Antibiotic Susceptibility

Purpose

Proper antibiotic administration is crucial for sepsis management. Given the escalating incidence of antimicrobial resistance, there is a pressing need for indicators of antimicrobial susceptibility with short turnaround times. This study aimed to investigate the potential of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) as an early biomarker for in vivo antibiotic susceptibility in patients with sepsis.

Patients and Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of plasma samples from patients enrolled in a pre-established study designed to investigate prognostic biomarkers in patients with sepsis or septic shock. Baseline and 6 h sTREM-1 levels were examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The primary outcome of the study was the comparison of percentage changes in sTREM-1 levels at the 6 h relative to baseline with respect to antibiotic susceptibility.

Results

Of the 596 patients enrolled in the pre-established study, 29 with a median age of 75.8 and a 28-day mortality rate of 17.2% were included in the present analysis. Among these patients, 24 were classified into the susceptible group, whereas the remaining five were classified into the resistant group. The trend in plasma sTREM-1 levels differed with respect to antibiotic susceptibility. Moreover, percentage change in sTREM-1 levels at the 6 h relative to baseline was significantly higher in the resistant group (P = 0.028).

Conclusion

The trend in plasma sTREM-1 levels in patients with sepsis differed with respect to antibiotic susceptibility, with a higher percentage change in patients treated with inappropriate antibiotics. These findings indicate the potential utility of sTREM-1 as an early biomarker of antibiotic susceptibility.

The chain of survival and rehabilitation for sepsis: concepts and proposals for healthcare trajectory optimization

This article describes the structures and processes involved in healthcare delivery for sepsis, from the prehospital setting until rehabilitation. Quality improvement initiatives in sepsis may reduce both morbidity and mortality. Positive outcomes are more likely when the following steps are optimized: early recognition, severity assessment, prehospital emergency medical system activation when available, early therapy (antimicrobials and hemodynamic optimization), early orientation to an adequate facility (emergency room, operating theater or intensive care unit), in-hospital organ failure resuscitation associated with source control, and finally a comprehensive rehabilitation program. Such a trajectory of care dedicated to sepsis amounts to a chain of survival and rehabilitation for sepsis. Implementation of this chain of survival and rehabilitation for sepsis requires full interconnection between each link. To date, despite regular international recommendations updates, the adherence to sepsis guidelines remains low leading to a considerable burden of the disease. Developing and optimizing such an integrated network could significantly reduce sepsis related mortality and morbidity.

Predicting septic shock in patients with sepsis at emergency department triage using systolic and diastolic shock index

INTRODUCTION

Identifying patients with at a high risk of progressing to septic shock is essential. Due to systemic vasodilation in the pathophysiology of septic shock, the use of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) has emerged. We hypothesized that the initial shock index (SI) and diastolic SI (DSI) at the emergency department (ED) triage can predict septic shock.

METHOD

This observational study used the prospectively collected sepsis registry. The primary outcome was progression to septic shock. Secondary outcomes were the time to vasopressor requirement, vasopressor dose, and severity according to SI and DSI. Patients were classified by tertiles according to the first principal component of shock index and diastolic shock index.

RESULTS

A total of 1267 patients were included in the analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for predicting progression to septic shock for DSI was 0.717, while that for SI was 0.707. The AUC for predicting progression to septic shock for DSI and SI were significantly higher than those for conventional early warning scores. Middle tertile showed adjusted Odd ratio (aOR) of 1.448 (95% CI 1.074-1.953), and that of upper tertile showed 3.704 (95% CI 2.299-4.111).

CONCLUSION

The SI and DSI were significant predictors of progression to septic shock. Our findings suggest an association between DSI and vasopressor requirement. We propose stratifying lower tertile as being at low risk, middle tertile as being at intermediate risk, and upper tertile as being at high risk of progression to septic shock. This system can be applied simply at the ED triage.

Heterogeneity of Benefit from Earlier Time-to-Antibiotics for Sepsis

Rationale: Shorter time-to-antibiotics improves survival from sepsis, particularly among patients in shock. There may be other subgroups for whom faster antibiotics are particularly beneficial.Objectives: Identify patient characteristics associated with greater benefit from shorter time-to-antibiotics.Methods: Observational cohort study of patients hospitalized with community-onset sepsis at 173 hospitals and treated with antimicrobials within 12 hours. We used three approaches to evaluate heterogeneity of benefit from shorter time-to-antibiotics: 1) conditional average treatment effects of shorter (⩽3 h) versus longer (>3-12 h) time-to-antibiotics on 30-day mortality using multivariable Poisson regression; 2) causal forest to identify characteristics associated with greatest benefit from shorter time-to-antibiotics; and 3) logistic regression with time-to-antibiotics modeled as a spline.Measurements and Main Results: Among 273,255 patients with community-onset sepsis, 131,094 (48.0%) received antibiotics within 3 hours. In Poisson models, shorter time-to-antibiotics was associated with greater absolute mortality reduction among patients with metastatic cancer (5.0% [95% confidence interval; CI: 4.3-5.7] vs. 0.4% [95% CI: 0.2-0.6] for patients without cancer, P < 0.001); patients with shock (7.0% [95% CI: 5.8-8.2%] vs. 2.8% [95% CI: 2.7-3.5%] for patients without shock, P = 0.005); and patients with more acute organ dysfunctions (4.8% [95% CI: 3.9-5.6%] for three or more dysfunctions vs. 0.5% [95% CI: 0.3-0.8] for one dysfunction, P < 0.001). In causal forest, metastatic cancer and shock were associated with greatest benefit from shorter time-to-antibiotics. Spline analysis confirmed differential nonlinear associations of time-to-antibiotics with mortality in patients with metastatic cancer and shock.Conclusions: In patients with community-onset sepsis, the mortality benefit of shorter time-to-antibiotics varied by patient characteristics. These findings suggest that shorter time-to-antibiotics for sepsis is particularly important among patients with cancer and/or shock.

Effect of delayed antibiotic use on mortality outcomes in patients with sepsis or septic shock: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The use of antibiotics is essential in the treatment of sepsis and septic shock, and delaying their administration may impact patient mortality outcomes. However, there is currently a controversial debate surrounding this issue. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to explore the association between delayed antibiotic use and mortality in patients with sepsis and septic shock.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library to identify relevant studies published from 2013 to 2023. These studies focused on patients with sepsis or septic shock and provided information on various antibiotic administration times and mortality rates. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted the data. The quality of each study was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and the collected data were analyzed using STATA 15.1 software.

RESULTS

A total of 29 studies were included, consisting of 17 prospective cohort studies and 12 retrospective cohort studies. The meta-analysis showed that compared to administration of antibiotics within 1 h, each hour of delay in antibiotic administration increased the in-hospital mortality (IHM) (OR = 1.041, 95 % CI: 1.021-1.062), and ministration of antibiotics after 1 h increased the IHM (OR = 1.205, 95 % CI: 1.123-1.293). There was no significant change in the 28-day mortality (OR = 1.297, 95 % CI: 0.882-1.906), 90-day mortality (OR = 1.172, 95 % CI: 0.846-1.622), and 1-year mortality (OR = 0.986, 95 % CI: 0.422-2.303). Administration of antibiotics within 3 h may reduce the IHM (OR = 1.297, 95 % CI: 1.011-1.664, p = 0.041), while administration of antibiotics within 6 h showed no significant association with the IHM.

CONCLUSION

The administration of antibiotics beyond 1 h after emergency triage or disease identification is strongly associated with an increased IHM in patients with sepsis or septic shock, and each hour of delay in antibiotic administration may be associated with an increase in the IHM. Furthermore, the use of antibiotics identification beyond 3 h after emergency triage / sepsis or septic shock may also increase the IHM.

Sex differences in in-hospital management in patients with sepsis and septic shock: a prospective multicenter observational study

Sex differences in the in-hospital management of sepsis exist. Previous studies either included patients with sepsis that was defined using previous definitions of sepsis or evaluated the 3-h bundle therapy. Therefore, this study sought to assess sex differences in 1-h bundle therapy and in-hospital management among patients with sepsis and septic shock, defined according to the Sepsis-3 definitions. This observational study used data from Korean Shock Society (KoSS) registry, a prospective multicenter sepsis registry. Adult patients with sepsis between June 2018 and December 2021 were included in this study. The primary outcome was adherence to 1-h bundle therapy. Propensity score matching (PSM) and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Among 3264 patients with sepsis, 3129 were analyzed. PSM yielded 2380 matched patients (1190 men and 1190 women). After PSM, 1-h bundle therapy was performed less frequently in women than in men (13.0% vs. 19.2%; p < 0.001). Among the bundle therapy components, broad-spectrum antibiotics were administered less frequently in women than in men (25.4% vs. 31.6%, p < 0.001), whereas adequate fluid resuscitation was performed more frequently in women than in men (96.8% vs. 95.0%, p = 0.029). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, 1-h bundle therapy was performed less frequently in women than in men [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.559; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.245-1.951; p < 0.001] after adjustment. Among the bundle therapy components, broad-spectrum antibiotics were administered less frequently to women than men (aOR 1.339, 95% CI 1.118-1.605; p = 0.002), whereas adequate fluid resuscitation was performed more frequently for women than for men (aOR 0.629, 95% CI 0.413-0.959; p = 0.031). Invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring was performed less frequently in women than in men. Resuscitation fluid, vasopressor, steroid, central-line insertion, ICU admission, length of stay in the emergency department, mechanical ventilator use, and renal replacement therapy use were comparable for both the sexes. Among patients with sepsis and septic shock, 1-h bundle therapy was performed less frequently in women than in men. Continuous efforts are required to increase adherence to the 1-h bundle therapy and to decrease sex differences in the in-hospital management of patients with sepsis and septic shock.

Exploiting the Features of Clinical Judgment to Improve Assessment of Disease Severity in the Emergency Department: An Acutelines Study

BACKGROUND

Clinical judgment, also known as gestalt or gut feeling, can predict deterioration and can be easily and rapidly obtained. To date, it is unknown what clinical judgement precisely entails. The aim of this study was to elucidate which features define the clinical impression of health care professionals in the ED.

METHOD

A nominal group technique (NGT) was used to develop a consensus-based instrument to measure the clinical impression score (CIS, scale 1-10) and to identify features associated with either a more severe or less severe estimated disease severity. This single-center observational cohort study included 517 medical patients visiting the ED. The instrument was prospectively validated.. The predictive value of each feature for the clinical impression was assessed using multivariate linear regression analyses to adjust for potential confounders and validated in the infection group.

RESULTS

The CIS at the ED was associated with ICU admission (OR 1.67 [1.37-2.03], p < 0.001), in-hospital mortality (OR 2.25 [1.33-3.81], p < 0.001), and 28-day mortality (OR 1.33 [1.07-1.65], <0.001). Dry mucous membranes, eye glance, red flags during physical examination, results of arterial blood gas analysis, heart and respiratory rate, oxygen modality, triage urgency, and increased age were associated with a higher estimated disease severity (CIS). On the other hand, behavior of family, self-estimation of the patient, systolic blood pressure, and Glascow Coma Scale were associated with a lower estimated disease severity (CIS).

CONCLUSION

We identified several features that were associated with the clinical impression of health care professionals in the ED. Translating the subjective features and objective measurements into quantifiable parameters may aid the development of a novel triage tool to identify patients at risk of deterioration in the ED.

Influence of antibiotic therapy with hemodynamic optimization on 30-day mortality among septic shock patients cared for in the prehospital setting

BACKGROUND

In order to reduce septic shock mortality, international guidelines recommend early treatment implementation, antibiotic therapy (ABT) and hemodynamic optimisation, within 1-h. This retrospective multicentric study aims to investigate the relationship between prehospital ABT delivered within 1st hour and mean blood pressure (MAP) ≥ 65 mmHg at the end of the prehospital stage, and 30-day mortality among patients with septic shock.

METHODS

From May 2016 to December 2021, patients with septic shock requiring pre-hospital Mobile Intensive Care Unit intervention (MICU) were retrospectively analysed. To assess the relationship between 30-day mortality and prehospital ABT delivered within 1st hour and/or MAP ≥ 65 mmHg at the end of the prehospital stage, Inverse Probability Treatment Weighting (IPTW) propensity score method was performed.

RESULTS

Among the 530 patients included, 341 were male gender (64%) with a mean age of 69 ± 15 years. One-hundred and thirty-two patients (25%) patients received prehospital ABT, among which 98 patients (74%) were treated with 3rd generation cephalosporin. Suspected pulmonary, urinary and digestive infections were the cause of sepsis in respectively 43%, 25% and 17%. The 30-day overall mortality was 31%. A significant association was observed between 30-day mortality rate and (i) ABT administration within the first hour: RRa = 0.14 [0.04-0.55], (ii) ABT administration within the first hour associated with a MAP ≥ 65 mmHg: RRa = 0.08 [0.02-0.37] and (iii) ABT administration within the first hour in the prehospital setting associated with a MAP < 65 mmHg at the end of the prehospital stage: RRa = 0.75 [0.45-0.85]. Patients who received prehospital ABT after the first hour have also a 30-day mortality rate decrease: RRa = 0.87 [0.57-0.99], whereas patients who did not received ABT had an increased 30-day mortality rate: RRa = 2.36 [1.89-2.95].

CONCLUSION

In this study, we showed that pre-hospital ABT within the first hour and MAP≥65 mmHg at the end of prehospital stage are both associated with 30-day mortality decrease among patients suffering from septic shock cared for by a MICU. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results.

Surviving Sepsis Campaign Research Priorities 2023

OBJECTIVES

To identify research priorities in the management, epidemiology, outcome, and pathophysiology of sepsis and septic shock.

DESIGN

Shortly after publication of the most recent Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines, the Surviving Sepsis Research Committee, a multiprofessional group of 16 international experts representing the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Society of Critical Care Medicine, convened virtually and iteratively developed the article and recommendations, which represents an update from the 2018 Surviving Sepsis Campaign Research Priorities.

METHODS

Each task force member submitted five research questions on any sepsis-related subject. Committee members then independently ranked their top three priorities from the list generated. The highest rated clinical and basic science questions were developed into the current article.

RESULTS

A total of 81 questions were submitted. After merging similar questions, there were 34 clinical and ten basic science research questions submitted for voting. The five top clinical priorities were as follows: 1) what is the best strategy for screening and identification of patients with sepsis, and can predictive modeling assist in real-time recognition of sepsis? 2) what causes organ injury and dysfunction in sepsis, how should it be defined, and how can it be detected? 3) how should fluid resuscitation be individualized initially and beyond? 4) what is the best vasopressor approach for treating the different phases of septic shock? and 5) can a personalized/precision medicine approach identify optimal therapies to improve patient outcomes? The five top basic science priorities were as follows: 1) How can we improve animal models so that they more closely resemble sepsis in humans? 2) What outcome variables maximize correlations between human sepsis and animal models and are therefore most appropriate to use in both? 3) How does sepsis affect the brain, and how do sepsis-induced brain alterations contribute to organ dysfunction? How does sepsis affect interactions between neural, endocrine, and immune systems? 4) How does the microbiome affect sepsis pathobiology? 5) How do genetics and epigenetics influence the development of sepsis, the course of sepsis and the response to treatments for sepsis?

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge advances in multiple clinical domains have been incorporated in progressive iterations of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines, allowing for evidence-based recommendations for short- and long-term management of sepsis. However, the strength of existing evidence is modest with significant knowledge gaps and mortality from sepsis remains high. The priorities identified represent a roadmap for research in sepsis and septic shock.

Association of delayed adequate antimicrobial treatment and organ dysfunction in pediatric bloodstream infections

BACKGROUND

Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are associated with significant mortality and morbidity, including multiple organ dysfunction. We explored if delayed adequate antimicrobial treatment for children with BSIs is associated with change in organ dysfunction as measured by PELOD-2 scores.

METHODS

We conducted a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of critically ill children <18 years old with BSIs. The primary outcome was change in PELOD-2 score between days 1 (index blood culture) and 5. The exposure variable was delayed administration of adequate antimicrobial therapy by ≥3 h from blood culture collection. We compared PELOD-2 score changes between those who received early and delayed treatment.

RESULTS

Among 202 children, the median (interquartile range) time to adequate antimicrobial therapy was 7 (0.8-20.1) hours; 124 (61%) received delayed antimicrobial therapy. Patients who received early and delayed treatment had similar baseline characteristics. There was no significant difference in PELOD-2 score changes from days 1 and 5 between groups (PELOD-2 score difference -0.07, 95% CI -0.92 to 0.79, p = 0.88).

CONCLUSIONS

We did not find an association between delayed adequate antimicrobial therapy and PELOD-2 score changes between days 1 and 5 from detection of BSI. PELOD-2 score was not sensitive for clinical effects of delayed antimicrobial treatment.

IMPACT

In critically ill children with bloodstream infections, there was no significant change in organ dysfunction as measured by PELOD-2 scores between patients who received adequate antimicrobial therapy within 3 h of their initial positive blood culture and those who started after 3 h. Higher PELOD-2 scores on day 1 were associated with larger differences in PELOD-2 scores between days 1 and 5 from index positive blood cultures. Further study is required to determine if PELOD-2 or alternative measures of organ dysfunction could be used as primary outcome measures in trials of antimicrobial interventions in pediatric critical care research.

Association between preoperative systemic immune inflammation index and postoperative sepsis in patients with intestinal obstruction: A retrospective observational cohort study

BACKGROUND

Sepsis is a severe complication that results in increased morbidity and mortality after intestinal obstruction surgery. This study examined the role of preoperative systemic immune inflammation index (SII) for postoperative sepsis in intestinal obstruction patients.

METHODS

Data on patients who underwent intestinal obstruction surgery were collected. SII was determined and separated into two groups (≤1792.19 and >1792.19) according to the optimal cut-off value of SII for postoperative sepsis. The odds ratio (OR) is calculated for the correlation between SII and postoperative sepsis. Additional analyses were used to estimate the robustness of SII.

RESULTS

A total of 371 intestinal obstruction patients undergoing surgery were included in the final cohort, and 60 (16.17%) patients developed postoperative sepsis. Patients with an SII ＞1792.19 had a significantly higher risk for developing postoperative sepsis after multivariable adjustment [adjusted odds ratio = 2.12, 95% confidence interval: [1.02-4.40]]. The analysis of interaction showed no correlation between the preoperative SII and postoperative sepsis regarding age, hypertension, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, blood loss, albumin, hemoglobin, creatinine, and leukocyte (all interactions p > .05). In subgroup analysis, all statistically significant subgroups showed that SII was a risk factor for postoperative sepsis (all p < .05). The analyses of subgroups and interactions revealed that the interaction effect of a preoperative SII ＞1792.19 and postoperative sepsis remained significant. A sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the results.

CONCLUSIONS

A preoperative SII ＞ 1792.19 was a risk factor for postoperative sepsis in patients undergoing intestinal obstruction surgery.

Impact of a deep learning sepsis prediction model on quality of care and survival

Sepsis remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Algorithms that assist with the early recognition of sepsis may improve outcomes, but relatively few studies have examined their impact on real-world patient outcomes. Our objective was to assess the impact of a deep-learning model (COMPOSER) for the early prediction of sepsis on patient outcomes. We completed a before-and-after quasi-experimental study at two distinct Emergency Departments (EDs) within the UC San Diego Health System. We included 6217 adult septic patients from 1/1/2021 through 4/30/2023. The exposure tested was a nurse-facing Best Practice Advisory (BPA) triggered by COMPOSER. In-hospital mortality, sepsis bundle compliance, 72-h change in sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score following sepsis onset, ICU-free days, and the number of ICU encounters were evaluated in the pre-intervention period (705 days) and the post-intervention period (145 days). The causal impact analysis was performed using a Bayesian structural time-series approach with confounder adjustments to assess the significance of the exposure at the 95% confidence level. The deployment of COMPOSER was significantly associated with a 1.9% absolute reduction (17% relative decrease) in in-hospital sepsis mortality (95% CI, 0.3%-3.5%), a 5.0% absolute increase (10% relative increase) in sepsis bundle compliance (95% CI, 2.4%-8.0%), and a 4% (95% CI, 1.1%-7.1%) reduction in 72-h SOFA change after sepsis onset in causal inference analysis. This study suggests that the deployment of COMPOSER for early prediction of sepsis was associated with a significant reduction in mortality and a significant increase in sepsis bundle compliance.

Impact of Reducing Time-to-Antibiotics on Sepsis Mortality, Antibiotic Use, and Adverse Events

Rationale: Shorter time-to-antibiotics is lifesaving in sepsis, but programs to hasten antibiotic delivery may increase unnecessary antibiotic use and adverse events. Objectives: We sought to estimate both the benefits and harms of shortening time-to-antibiotics for sepsis. Methods: We conducted a simulation study using a cohort of 1,559,523 hospitalized patients admitted through the emergency department with meeting two or more systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria (2013-2018). Reasons for hospitalization were classified as septic shock, sepsis, infection, antibiotics stopped early, and never treated (no antibiotics within 48 h). We simulated the impact of a 50% reduction in time-to-antibiotics for sepsis across 12 hospital scenarios defined by sepsis prevalence (low, medium, or high) and magnitude of "spillover" antibiotic prescribing to patients without infection (low, medium, high, or very high). Outcomes included mortality and adverse events potentially attributable to antibiotics (e.g., allergy, organ dysfunction, Clostridiodes difficile infection, and culture with multidrug-resistant organism). Results: A total of 933,458 (59.9%) hospitalized patients received antimicrobial therapy within 48 hours of presentation, including 38,572 (2.5%) with septic shock, 276,082 (17.7%) with sepsis, 370,705 (23.8%) with infection, and 248,099 (15.9%) with antibiotics stopped early. A total of 199,937 (12.8%) hospitalized patients experienced an adverse event; most commonly, acute liver injury (5.6%), new MDRO (3.5%), and Clostridiodes difficile infection (1.7%). Across the scenarios, a 50% reduction in time-to-antibiotics for sepsis was associated with a median of 1 to 180 additional antibiotic-treated patients and zero to seven additional adverse events per death averted from sepsis. Conclusions: The impacts of faster time-to-antibiotics for sepsis vary markedly across simulated hospital types. However, even in the worst-case scenario, new antibiotic-associated adverse events were rare.

Risk classification and door-to-antibiotic time in patients with suspected sepsis

OBJECTIVE

to evaluate the association between risk classification and door-to-antibiotic time in patients with suspected sepsis.

METHOD

retrospective cohort study, with a sample of 232 patients with suspected sepsis treated at the emergency department. They were divided into 2 groups: with and without risk classification. Once the door-to-antibiotic time was identified, one-way analysis of variance was performed with Bonferroni post hoc test or independent Student's t-test for continuous quantitative variables; Pearson correlation tests, point-biserial correlation or biserial correlation for association analyses; and bootstrap procedure when there was no normal distribution of variables. For data analysis, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software was used.

RESULTS

the door-to-antibiotic time did not differ between the group that received risk classification compared to the one that was not classified. Door-to-antibiotic time was significantly shorter in the group that received a high priority risk classification.

CONCLUSION

there was no association between door-to-antibiotic time and whether or not the risk classification was performed, nor with hospitalization in infirmaries and intensive care units, or with the length of hospital stay. It was observed that the higher the priority, the shorter the door-to-antibiotic time.

Resuscitation and Preparation of the Emergency General Surgery Patient

Traditionally, the workflow surrounding a general surgery patient allows for a period of evaluation and optimization of underlying medical issues to allow for risk modification; however, in the emergency, this optimization period is largely condensed because of its time-dependent nature. Because the lack of optimization can lead to complications, the ability to rapidly resuscitate the patient, proceed to procedural intervention to control the situation, and manage common medical comorbidities is paramount. This article provides an overview on these subjects.

Risk of Misleading Conclusions in Observational Studies of Time-to-Antibiotics and Mortality in Suspected Sepsis

BACKGROUND

Influential studies conclude that each hour until antibiotics increases mortality in sepsis. However, these analyses often (1) adjusted for limited covariates, (2) included patients with long delays until antibiotics, (3) combined sepsis and septic shock, and (4) used linear models presuming each hour delay has equal impact. We evaluated the effect of these analytic choices on associations between time-to-antibiotics and mortality.

METHODS

We retrospectively identified 104 248 adults admitted to 5 hospitals from 2015-2022 with suspected infection (blood culture collection and intravenous antibiotics ≤24 h of arrival), including 25 990 with suspected septic shock and 23 619 with sepsis without shock. We used multivariable regression to calculate associations between time-to-antibiotics and in-hospital mortality under successively broader confounding-adjustment, shorter maximum time-to-antibiotic intervals, stratification by illness severity, and removing assumptions of linear hourly associations.

RESULTS

Changing covariates, maximum time-to-antibiotics, and severity stratification altered the magnitude, direction, and significance of observed associations between time-to-antibiotics and mortality. In a fully adjusted model of patients treated ≤6 hours, each hour was associated with higher mortality for septic shock (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.04-1.11) but not sepsis without shock (aOR: 1.03; .98-1.09) or suspected infection alone (aOR: .99; .94-1.05). Modeling each hour separately confirmed that every hour of delay was associated with increased mortality for septic shock, but only delays >6 hours were associated with higher mortality for sepsis without shock.

CONCLUSIONS

Associations between time-to-antibiotics and mortality in sepsis are highly sensitive to analytic choices. Failure to adequately address these issues can generate misleading conclusions.

Institutional Structures and Processes to Support Sepsis Care: A Multihospital Study

OBJECTIVES

To identify opportunities for improving hospital-based sepsis care and to inform an ongoing statewide quality improvement initiative in Michigan.

DESIGN

Surveys on hospital sepsis processes, including a self-assessment of practices using a 3-point Likert scale, were administered to 51 hospitals participating in the Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium, a Collaborative Quality Initiative sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, at two time points (2020, 2022). Forty-eight hospitals also submitted sepsis protocols for structured review.

SETTING

Multicenter quality improvement consortium.

SUBJECTS

Fifty-one hospitals in Michigan.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Of the included hospitals, 92.2% (n = 47/51) were nonprofit, 88.2% (n = 45/51) urban, 11.8% (n = 6/51) rural, and 80.4% (n = 41/51) teaching hospitals. One hundred percent (n = 51/51) responded to the survey, and 94.1% (n = 48/51) provided a sepsis policy/protocol. All surveyed hospitals used at least one quality improvement approach, including audit/feedback (98.0%, n = 50/51) and/or clinician education (68.6%, n = 35/51). Protocols included the Sepsis-1 (18.8%, n = 9/48) or Sepsis-2 (31.3%, n = 15/48) definitions; none (n = 0/48) used Sepsis-3. All hospitals (n = 51/51) used at least one process to facilitate rapid sepsis treatment, including order sets (96.1%, n = 49/51) and/or stocking of commonly used antibiotics in at least one clinical setting (92.2%, n = 47/51). Treatment protocols included guidance on antimicrobial therapy (68.8%, n = 33/48), fluid resuscitation (70.8%, n = 34/48), and vasopressor administration (62.5%, n = 30/48). On self-assessment, hospitals reported the lowest scores for peridischarge practices, including screening for cognitive impairment (2.0%, n = 1/51 responded "we are good at this") and providing anticipatory guidance (3.9%, n = 2/51). There were no meaningful associations of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock: Management Bundle performance with differences in hospital characteristics or sepsis policy document characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

Most hospitals used audit/feedback, order sets, and clinician education to facilitate sepsis care. Hospitals did not consistently incorporate organ dysfunction criteria into sepsis definitions. Existing processes focused on early recognition and treatment rather than recovery-based practices.

Association between hospital onset of infection and outcomes in sepsis patients - A propensity score matched cohort study based on health claims data in Germany

BACKGROUND

Hospital-acquired infections are a common source of sepsis. Hospital onset of sepsis was found to be associated with higher acute mortality and hospital costs, yet its impact on long-term patient-relevant outcomes and costs is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to assess the association between sepsis origin and acute and long-term outcomes based on a nationwide population-based cohort of sepsis patients in Germany.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study used nationwide health claims data from 23 million health insurance beneficiaries. Sepsis patients with hospital-acquired infections (HAI) were identified by ICD-10-codes in a cohort of adult patients with hospital-treated sepsis between 2013 and 2014. Cases without these ICD-10-codes were considered as sepsis cases with community-acquired infection (CAI) and were matched with HAI sepsis patients by propensity score matching. Outcomes included in-hospital/12-month mortality and costs, as well as readmissions and nursing care dependency until 12 months postsepsis.

RESULTS

We matched 33,110 HAI sepsis patients with 28,614 CAI sepsis patients and 22,234 HAI sepsis hospital survivors with 19,364 CAI sepsis hospital survivors. HAI sepsis patients had a higher hospital mortality than CAI sepsis patients (32.8% vs. 25.4%, RR 1.3, p < .001). Similarly, 12-months postacute mortality was higher (37.2% vs. 30.1%, RR=1.2, p < .001). Hospital and 12-month health care costs were 178% and 22% higher in HAI patients than in CAI patients, respectively. Twelve months postsepsis, HAI sepsis survivors were more often newly dependent on nursing care (33.4% vs. 24.0%, RR=1.4, p < .001) and experienced 5% more hospital readmissions (mean number of readmissions: 2.1 vs. 2.0, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

HAI sepsis patients face an increased risk of adverse outcomes both during the acute sepsis episode and in the long-term. Measures to prevent HAI and its progression into sepsis may be an opportunity to mitigate the burden of long-term impairments and costs of sepsis, e.g., by early detection of HAI progressing into sepsis, particularly in normal wards; adequate sepsis management and adherence to sepsis bundles in hospital-acquired sepsis; and an improved infection prevention and control.

The Timing of Initiating Hydrocortisone and Long-term Mortality in Septic Shock

BACKGROUND

Previous studies on the association between the timing of corticosteroid administration and mortality in septic shock focused only on short-term mortality and produced conflicting results. We performed a retrospective review of a large administrative database of intensive care unit (ICU) patients to evaluate the association between the timing of hydrocortisone initiation and short- and long-term mortality in septic shock. We hypothesized that a longer duration between the first vasopressor use for sepsis and steroid initiation was associated with increased mortality.

METHODS

Data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart in the Intensive Care-IV database. We included adults who met Sepsis-3 definition for septic shock and received hydrocortisone. The exposure of interest was the time in hours from vasopressor use to hydrocortisone initiation (>12 as late and ≤12 as early). The primary outcome was 1-year mortality. Secondary outcomes included 28-day mortality, 90-day mortality, in-hospital mortality, and length of hospital stay. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the association between exposure and mortality. Competing risk regression models were used to evaluate the association between exposure and length of hospital stay.

RESULTS

A total of 844 patients were included in this cohort: 553 in the early group and 291 in the late group. The median time to hydrocortisone initiation was 7 hours (interquartile range, 2.0-19.0 hours). After multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis, we found that hydrocortisone initiation >12 hours after vasopressor use was associated with increased 1-year mortality when compared with initiation <12 hours (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.71; P = .002, E-value = 2.13). Hydrocortisone initiation >12 hours was also associated with increased 28-day, 90-day, and in-hospital mortality and prolonged length of hospital stay.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with septic shock, initiating hydrocortisone >12 hours after vasopressor use was associated with an increased risk of both short-term and long-term mortality, and a prolonged length of hospital stay.

Using machine learning for process improvement in sepsis management

INTRODUCTION

In the U.S., sepsis afflicts 1.7 million adults, causing 270,000 deaths each year. Early detection of sepsis could decrease the number of deaths by 92,000 annually and decrease hospital expenditures by 1.5 billion USD. Few prior studies and reviews have presented a holistic understanding of the relationship between machine learning and existing process improvement measures. This study, in addition to discussing machine learning and existing process improvements measures, elaborates on the disadvantages and the barriers to integrating machine learning into the clinic. This article synthesizes previous studies to educate healthcare professionals on effectively managing sepsis by leveraging the benefits of machine learning.

METHODS

This study used the PubMed database. Search terms include sepsis antibiotics, sepsis process improvement, sepsis machine learning. Our search criteria included previous studies published between January 1, 2017, and February 1, 2022.

RESULTS/DISCUSSION

Although machine learning algorithms have better predictive capabilities, their effectiveness in the clinical setting is limited as studies show mixed results because the medical staff often fails to intervene. To overcome poor interventional response, clinicians need to work with the facility's IT department to ensure integration into clinical workflow and minimize alert-fatigue. Algorithms should enhance the productivity of clinical teams, not attempt to replace them entirely.

CONCLUSION

Hospitals can employ process improvement measures that effectively utilize machine learning algorithms to ensure integration into clinical workflows. Healthcare professionals can utilize workflow tools in addition to the predictive capabilities of machine learning to enhance clinical decisions in sepsis.

Delayed Treatment of Bloodstream Infection at Admission is Associated With Initial Low Early Warning Score and Increased Mortality

OBJECTIVES

To identify factors associated with antibiotic treatment delay in patients admitted with bloodstream infections (BSIs).

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

North Zealand Hospital, Denmark.

PATIENTS

Adult patients with positive blood cultures obtained within the first 48 hours of admission between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2015 (n = 926).

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

First recorded Early Warning Score (EWS), patient characteristics, time to antibiotic treatment, and survival at day 60 after admission were obtained from electronic health records and medicine module. Presence of contaminants and the match between the antibiotic treatment and susceptibility of the cultured microorganism were included in the analysis. Data were stratified according to EWS quartiles. Overall, time from admission to prescription of antibiotic treatment was 3.7 (3.4-4.0) hours, whereas time from admission to antibiotic treatment was 5.7 (5.4-6.1) hours. A gap between prescription and administration of antibiotic treatment was present across all EWS quartiles. Importantly, 23.4% of patients admitted with BSI presented with an initial EWS 0-1. Within this group of patients, time to antibiotic treatment was markedly higher among nonsurvivors at day 60 compared with survivors. Furthermore, time to antibiotic treatment later than 6 hours was associated with increased mortality at day 60. Among patients with an initial EWS of 0-1, 51.3% of survivors received antibiotic treatment within 6 hours, whereas only 19.0% of nonsurvivors received antibiotic treatment within 6 hours.

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients with initial low EWS, delay in antibiotic treatment of BSIs was associated with increased mortality at day 60. Lag from prescription to administration may contribute to delayed antibiotic treatment. A more frequent reevaluation of patients with infections with a low initial EWS and reduction of time from prescription to administration may reduce the time to antibiotic treatment, thus potentially improving survival.

Organizational Benefits of Ultra-Low-Dose Chest CT Compared to Chest Radiography in the Emergency Department for the Diagnostic Workup of Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Real-Life Retrospective Analysis

Background and Objectives: Chest radiography remains the most frequently used examination in emergency departments (ED) for the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), despite its poor diagnostic accuracy compared with ultra-low-dose (ULD) chest computed tomography (CT). However, although ULD CT appears to be an attractive alternative to radiography, its organizational impact in ED remains unknown. Our objective was to compare the relevant timepoints in ED management of CT and chest radiography. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in two ED of a University Hospital including consecutive patients consulting for a CAP between 1 March 2019 and 29 February 2020 to assess the organizational benefits of ULD chest CT and chest radiography (length of stay (LOS) in the ED, time of clinical decision after imaging). Overlap weights (OW) were used to reduce covariate imbalance between groups. Results: Chest radiography was performed for 1476 patients (mean age: 76 years [63; 86]; 55% men) and ULD chest CT for 133 patients (mean age: 71 [57; 83]; 53% men). In the weighted population with OW, ULD chest CT did not significantly alter the ED LOS compared with chest radiography (11.7 to 12.2; MR 0.96 [0.85; 1.09]), although it did significantly reduce clinical decision time (6.9 and 9.5 h; MR 0.73 [0.59; 0.89]). Conclusion: There is real-life evidence that a strategy with ULD chest CT can be considered to be a relevant approach to replace chest radiography as part of the diagnostic workup for CAP in the ED without increasing ED LOS.

The association between mortality and door-to-antibiotic time: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Previous studies evaluating the impact of antibiotic timing on mortality in sepsis have shown conflicting results. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between door-to-antibiotic time (each hour of delay) and mortality in sepsis.

METHODS

We searched PubMed and Embase through 10 November 2022 to identity cohort studies that evaluated the adjusted association between door-to-antibiotic time (each hour of delay) and mortality in adult patients with sepsis. The primary outcome was mortality. Analysis was based on inverse-variance weighting using a fixed-effects model. The variances were derived from the logarithms of the reported confidence intervals (CIs) for associations. We estimated the odds ratio, 95% CI, and number needed to treat for the pooled data.

RESULTS

Fifteen cohort studies involving 106 845 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Door-to-antibiotic time (each hour of delay) was associated with increased risk of mortality (odds ratio: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.06-1.08; P < 0.0001; number needed to treat = 91), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 82.2%). The association was robust in sensitivity analyses and consistent in subgroup analyses. No publication bias was found.

CONCLUSION

In adult patients with sepsis, each hour of delay in antibiotic administration is associated with increased odds of mortality. Key messages What is already known on this topic Sepsis is a common and lethal syndrome that affects millions of people worldwide. The updated 2018 Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines recommended initiating empirical broad-spectrum antibiotic coverage within 1 hour of identification of sepsis and septic shock. Delay in antibiotic administration may increase the risk of mortality in patients with sepsis. What this study adds This meta-analysis evaluates and quantifies the association between door-to-antibiotic time (each hour of delay) and mortality in patients with sepsis. Each hour of delay in antibiotic administration is associated with increased odds of mortality in sepsis. The number needed to treat (NNT) with delayed antibiotic administration for one additional death was 91. How this study might affect research, practice, or policy: More efforts should be made to speed up the diagnosis of sepsis or sepsis shock.

Pre-Hospital Management of Patients with COVID-19 and the Impact on Hospitalization

Background and Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, patient care was mainly organized around the hospital. Pre-hospital care has, to our knowledge, never been evaluated. We aimed to study the impact of pre-hospital pathways on hospitalization during the last part of the pandemic. Materials and Methods: This was a monocentric, retrospective analysis of prospectively collected medical records. Data from patients admitted to our institute between 1 February and 7 March 2022 were analyzed. The primary outcomes were defined as the number of hospitalizations, resuscitations, and deaths at the time of interview and in the subsequent 30 days. The main explanatory variables were times from onset of symptoms to care, age, gender, News2 score, comorbidities, and pre-hospital pathways and their duration. Results: Three pre-hospital pathways were identified: a pathway in which the patient consults a general practitioner for a test (PHP1); a pathway in which the patient consults for care (PHP2); and no pre-hospital pathway and direct admission to hospital (PHP3). Factors independently associated with outcome (hospitalization) were being male (OR 95% CI; 2.21 (1.01-4.84), p = 0,04), News2 score (OR 95% CI; 2.04 (1.65-2.51), p < 0.001), obesity (OR 95% CI; 3.45 (1.48-8.09), p = 0.005), D-dimers > 0.5 µg/mL (OR 95% CI; 3.45 (1.47-8.12), p = 0.005), and prolonged time from symptoms to hospital care (PHP duration) (OR 95% CI; 1.07 (1.01-1.14), p = 0.03). All things being equal, patients with a "PHP2" pre-hospital pathway had a higher probability of hospitalization compared to those with a "PHP3" pre-hospital pathway (OR 95% CI; 4.31 (1.48-12.55), p = 0.007). Conclusions: Along with recognized risk factors such as gender, News 2 score, and obesity, the patient's pre-hospital pathway is an important risk factor associated with hospitalization.

Comparison of Risk Stratification Approaches to Identify Patients with Clostridioides difficile Infection at Risk for Multidrug-Resistant Organism Gut Microbiota Colonization

INTRODUCTION

Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) commonly colonize the gut microbiota of patients with Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). This increases the likelihood of systemic infections with these MDROs. To help guide MDRO screening and/or empiric antibiotic therapy, we derived and compared predictive indices for MDRO gut colonization in patients with CDI.

METHODS

This was a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of adult patients with CDI from July 2017 to April 2018. Stool samples were screened for MDRO via growth and speciation on selective antibiotic media and confirmed using resistance gene polymerase chain reaction. A regression-based risk score for MDRO colonization was constructed. Predictive performance via area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (aROC) of this index was compared with two other simplified risk stratification approaches: (1) prior healthcare exposure and/or high-CDI risk antibiotics; (2) number of prior high-CDI risk antibiotics.

RESULTS

50 (20.8%) of 240 included patients had MDRO colonization; 35 (14.6%) VRE, 18 (7.5%) MRSA, 2 (0.8%) CRE. Prior fluoroquinolone (aOR 2.404, 95% CI 1.095-5.279) and prior vancomycin (1.996, 95% CI 1.014-3.932) were independently associated with MDRO colonization while prior clindamycin (aOR 3.257, 95% CI 0.842-12.597) and healthcare exposure (aOR 2.138, 95% CI 0.964-4.740) were retained as explanatory variables. The regression-based risk score significantly predicted MDRO colonization (aROC 0.679, 95% CI 0.595-0.763), but was not significantly more predictive than prior healthcare exposure + prior antibiotics (aROC 0.646, 95% CI 0.565-0.727) or number of prior antibiotic exposures (aROC 0.642, 95% CI 0.554-0.730); P > 0.05 for both comparisons.

CONCLUSION

A simplified approach using prior healthcare exposure and receipt of prior antibiotics known to increase CDI risk identified patients at risk for MDRO gut microbiome colonization as effectively as individual patient/antibiotic risk modeling.

Sepsis Prediction Model for Determining Sepsis vs SIRS, qSOFA, and SOFA

Importance

The Sepsis Prediction Model (SPM) is a proprietary decision support tool created by Epic Systems; it generates a predicting sepsis score (PSS). The model has not undergone validation against existing sepsis prediction tools, such as Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), or quick Sepsis-Related Organ Failure Asessement (qSOFA).

Objective

To assess the validity and timeliness of the SPM compared with SIRS, qSOFA, and SOFA.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective cohort study included all adults admitted to 5 acute care hospitals in a single US health system between June 5, 2019, and December 31, 2020. Data analysis was conducted from March 2021 to February 2023.

Main Outcomes and Measures

A sepsis event was defined as receipt of 4 or more days of antimicrobials, blood cultures collected within ±48 hours of initial antimicrobial, and at least 1 organ dysfunction as defined by the organ dysfunction criteria optimized for the electronic health record (eSOFA). Time zero was defined as 15 minutes prior to qualifying antimicrobial or blood culture order.

Results

Of 60 507 total admissions, 1663 (2.7%) met sepsis criteria, with 1324 electronic health record-confirmed sepsis (699 [52.8%] male patients; 298 [22.5%] Black patients; 46 [3.5%] Hispanic/Latinx patients; 945 [71.4%] White patients), 339 COVID-19 sepsis (183 [54.0%] male patients; 98 [28.9%] Black patients; 36 [10.6%] Hispanic/Latinx patients; and 189 [55.8%] White patients), and 58 844 (97.3%; 26 632 [45.2%] male patients; 12 698 [21.6%] Black patients; 3367 [5.7%] Hispanic/Latinx patients; 40 491 White patients) did not meet sepsis criteria. The median (IQR) age was 63 (51 to 73) years for electronic health record-confirmed sepsis, 69 (60 to 77) years for COVID-19 sepsis, and 60 (42 to 72) years for nonsepsis admissions. Within the vendor recommended threshold PSS range of 5 to 8, PSS of 8 or greater had the highest balanced accuracy for classifying a sepsis admission at 0.79 (95% CI, 0.78 to 0.80). Change in SOFA score of 2 or more had the highest sensitivity, at 0.97 (95% CI, 0.97 to 0.98). At a PSS of 8 or greater, median (IQR) time to score positivity from time zero was 68.00 (6.75 to 605.75) minutes. For SIRS, qSOFA, and SOFA, median (IQR) time to score positivity was 7.00 (-105.00 to 08.00) minutes, 74.00 (-22.25 to 599.25) minutes, and 28.00 (-108.50 to 134.00) minutes, respectively.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study of hospital admissions, balanced accuracy of the SPM outperformed other models at higher threshold PSS; however, application of the SPM in a clinical setting was limited by poor timeliness as a sepsis screening tool as compared to SIRS and SOFA.

Clinical Inertia: A Wider Perspective and Proposed Classification Criteria

Clinical inertia is very common in day-to-day practice, and the factors contributing to that can be physician-related, patient-related, or health-care-related. Clinical inertia is commonly described in chronic asymptomatic illness. We searched the PubMed and Scopus databases for original articles and reviews. Based on the search result, in this review article, we redefine various terminologies to avoid confusion and propose classification criteria for the early identification of clinical inertia. Clinical inertia is also present in acute illness and in symptomatic disease. Early identification of clinical inertia is difficult because of very vague terminologies which have been used interchangeably as well as because of the lack of definitive classification criteria. In this article, we redefine clinical inertia and propose criteria for early identification, which will be useful for both clinicians and academicians. This review will help clinicians to identify and rectify various aspects of clinical inertia.

Concordance Between Initial Presumptive and Final Adjudicated Diagnoses of Infection Among Patients Meeting Sepsis-3 Criteria in the Emergency Department

BACKGROUND

Guidelines emphasize rapid antibiotic treatment for sepsis, but infection presence is often uncertain at initial presentation. We investigated the incidence and drivers of false-positive presumptive infection diagnosis among emergency department (ED) patients meeting Sepsis-3 criteria.

METHODS

For a retrospective cohort of patients hospitalized after meeting Sepsis-3 criteria (acute organ failure and suspected infection including blood cultures drawn and intravenous antimicrobials administered) in 1 of 4 EDs from 2013 to 2017, trained reviewers first identified the ED-diagnosed source of infection and adjudicated the presence and source of infection on final assessment. Reviewers subsequently adjudicated final infection probability for a randomly selected 10% subset of subjects. Risk factors for false-positive infection diagnosis and its association with 30-day mortality were evaluated using multivariable regression.

RESULTS

Of 8267 patients meeting Sepsis-3 criteria in the ED, 699 (8.5%) did not have an infection on final adjudication and 1488 (18.0%) patients with confirmed infections had a different source of infection diagnosed in the ED versus final adjudication (ie, initial/final source diagnosis discordance). Among the subset of patients whose final infection probability was adjudicated (n = 812), 79 (9.7%) had only "possible" infection and 77 (9.5%) were not infected. Factors associated with false-positive infection diagnosis included hypothermia, altered mental status, comorbidity burden, and an "unknown infection source" diagnosis in the ED (odds ratio: 6.39; 95% confidence interval: 5.14-7.94). False-positive infection diagnosis was not associated with 30-day mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

In this large multihospital study, <20% of ED patients meeting Sepsis-3 criteria had no infection or only possible infection on retrospective adjudication.

Prolonged door-to-antibiotics time is associated with high hospital mortality in patients with perforated colorectal peritonitis

PURPOSE

Colorectal perforation is a fatal disease that presents with generalized peritonitis, leading to sepsis and septic shock. Recently, the association between prolonged door-to-antibiotics time and increased mortality in sepsis has been widely reported. In this study, we investigated the prognostic impact of a prolonged door-to-antibiotics time in patients with perforated colorectal peritonitis undergoing emergency surgery.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 93 patients with perforated colorectal peritonitis who underwent emergency surgery at our institution between April 2015 and August 2019. Patients were divided into two groups depending on the door-to-antibiotics time (< 162 min or ≥ 162 min). The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. The secondary outcomes were the length of hospital stay and severe complication rate. The logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio for in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

We identified 38 patients who presented with an extended door-to-antibiotics time (≥ 162 min) and 55 patients who presented with a shortened door-to-antibiotics time (< 162 min). We found a strong association between the door-to-antibiotics time ≥ 162 min and in-hospital mortality. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding the length of hospital stay and postoperative complication rate. However, in multivariate analysis, extended door-to-antibiotics time was an independent prognostic factor for in-hospital mortality (odds ratio = 244; 95% confidence interval, 11 -23,885).

CONCLUSION

A prolonged door-to-antibiotics time (≥ 162 min) worsened hospital mortality rates in patients with perforated colorectal peritonitis.

2023 Update on Sepsis and Septic Shock in Adult Patients: Management in the Emergency Department

BACKGROUND

Sepsis/septic shock is a life-threatening and time-dependent condition that requires timely management to reduce mortality. This review aims to update physicians with regard to the main pillars of treatment for this insidious condition.

METHODS

PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE were searched from inception with special attention paid to November 2021-January 2023.

RESULTS

The management of sepsis/septic shock is challenging and involves different pathophysiological aspects, encompassing empirical antimicrobial treatment (which is promptly administered after microbial tests), fluid (crystalloids) replacement (to be established according to fluid tolerance and fluid responsiveness), and vasoactive agents (e.g., norepinephrine (NE)), which are employed to maintain mean arterial pressure above 65 mmHg and reduce the risk of fluid overload. In cases of refractory shock, vasopressin (rather than epinephrine) should be combined with NE to reach an acceptable level of pressure control. If mechanical ventilation is indicated, the tidal volume should be reduced from 10 to 6 mL/kg. Heparin is administered to prevent venous thromboembolism, and glycemic control is recommended. The efficacy of other treatments (e.g., proton-pump inhibitors, sodium bicarbonate, etc.) is largely debated, and such treatments might be used on a case-to-case basis.

CONCLUSIONS

The management of sepsis/septic shock has significantly progressed in the last few years. Improving knowledge of the main therapeutic cornerstones of this challenging condition is crucial to achieve better patient outcomes.

Identifying high-risk phenotypes and associated harms of delayed time-to-antibiotics in patients with ICU onset sepsis: A retrospective cohort study

PURPOSE

To identify phenotypes of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) onset sepsis and its associated harms of delayed time-to-antibiotics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database was employed to identify patients with ICU onset sepsis. The primary exposure was time-to-antibiotics, as measured from sepsis recognition to first antibiotic administered. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify phenotypes of sepsis based on individual organ failure score derived from Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA). Interactions between phenotypes and time-to-antibiotics on 28-day mortality were explored.

RESULTS

6246 patients were enrolled in final analysis. The overall 28-day mortality was 12.7%. Delayed time-to-antibiotics was associated with increased 28-day mortality in patients with ICU onset sepsis (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.08-1.18). Four phenotypes of sepsis were identified: phenotype 1 was characterized by respiratory dysfunction, phenotype 2 was characterized by cardiovascular dysfunction, phenotype 3 was characterized by multiple organ dysfunction, and phenotype 4 was characterized by neurological dysfunction. The adjusted HR of 28-day mortality was 1.16 (95% CI 1.08-1.25) in phenotype 1, and 1.06 (95% CI 1.00-1.13) in phenotype 2, while no significant interaction was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Septic patients with respiratory or cardiovascular dysfunction were associated with harms of delayed time-to-antibiotics.

Implementation of an Electronic Alert to Improve Timeliness of Second Dose Antibiotics for Patients With Suspected Serious Infections in the Emergency Department: A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Trial

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Delays in the second dose of antibiotics in the emergency department (ED) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with serious infections. We analyzed the influence of clinical decision support to prevent delays in second doses of broad-spectrum antibiotics in the ED.

METHODS

We allocated adult patients who received cefepime or piperacillin/tazobactam in 9 EDs within an integrated health care system to an electronic alert that reminded ED clinicians to reorder antibiotics at the appropriate interval vs usual care. The primary outcome was a median delay in antibiotic administration. Secondary outcomes were rates of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, hospital mortality, and hospital length of stay. We included a post hoc secondary outcome of frequency of major delay (>25% of expected interval for second antibiotic dose).

RESULTS

A total of 1,113 ED patients treated with cefepime or piperacillin/tazobactam were enrolled in the study, of whom 420 remained under ED care when their second dose was due and were included in the final analysis. The clinical decision support tool was associated with reduced antibiotic delays (median difference 35 minutes, 95% confidence interval [CI], 5 to 65). There were no differences in ICU transfers, inpatient mortality, or hospital length of stay. The clinical decision support tool was associated with decreased probability of major delay (absolute risk reduction 13%, 95% CI, 6 to 20).

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of a clinical decision support alert reminding clinicians to reorder second doses of antibiotics was associated with a reduction in the length and frequency of antibiotic delays in the ED. There was no effect on the rates of ICU transfers, inpatient mortality, or hospital length of stay.

Antibiogram of Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Based on Sepsis Onset Location in Korea: A Multicenter Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Administration of adequate antibiotics is crucial for better outcomes in sepsis. Because no uniform tool can accurately assess the risk of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, a local antibiogram is necessary. We aimed to describe the antibiogram of MDR bacteria based on locations of sepsis onset in South Korea.

METHODS

We performed a prospective observational study of adult patients diagnosed with sepsis according to Sepsis-3 from 19 institutions (13 tertiary referral and 6 university-affiliated general hospitals) in South Korea. Patients were divided into four groups based on the respective location of sepsis onset: community, nursing home, long-term-care hospital, and hospital. Along with the antibiogram, risk factors of MDR bacteria and drug-bug match of empirical antibiotics were analyzed.

RESULTS

MDR bacteria were detected in 1,596 (22.7%) of 7,024 patients with gram-negative predominance. MDR gram-negative bacteria were more commonly detected in long-term-care hospital- (30.4%) and nursing home-acquired (26.3%) sepsis, whereas MDR gram-positive bacteria were more prevalent in hospital-acquired (10.9%) sepsis. Such findings were consistent regardless of the location and tier of hospitals throughout South Korea. Patients with long-term-care hospital-acquired sepsis had the highest risk of MDR pathogen, which was even higher than those with hospital-acquired sepsis (adjusted odds ratio, 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-1.75) after adjustment of risk factors. The drug-bug match was lowest in patients with long-term-care hospital-acquired sepsis (66.8%).

CONCLUSION

Gram-negative MDR bacteria were more common in nursing home- and long-term-care hospital-acquired sepsis, whereas gram-positive MDR bacteria were more common in hospital-acquired settings in South Korea. Patients with long-term-care hospital-acquired sepsis had the highest the risk of MDR bacteria but lowest drug-bug match of initial antibiotics. We suggest that initial antibiotics be carefully selected according to the onset location in each patient.

Optimal care of people with brain cancer in the emergency department: A cross-sectional survey of outpatient perceptions

Objective

People diagnosed with brain cancer commonly present to the emergency department (ED). There is uncertainty about essential components and processes of optimal care from the perspective of consumers, and few guidelines exist to inform practice. This study examined the perceptions of outpatients and their support persons regarding what constitutes optimal care for people with brain cancer presenting to the ED.

Methods

A cross sectional descriptive survey study was undertaken. Participants included adults attending hospital outpatient clinics (n ​= ​181, 60% of eligible participants). Participants completed a survey assessing perceptions of optimal care for brain cancer patients presenting to emergency department and socio-demographic characteristics.

Results

The survey items endorsed as 'essential' by participants included that the emergency department team help patients: 'understand signs and symptoms to watch out for' (51%); 'understand the next steps in care and why' (48%); 'understand if their medical condition suggests it is likely they will die in hospital' (47%); 'ask patients if they have a substitute decision maker and want that person told they are in the emergency department' (44%); 'understand the purpose of tests and procedures' (41%).

Conclusions

Symptom management, effective communication and supported decision-making should be prioritised by ED teams. Further research to establish the views of those affected by brain cancer about essential care delivered in the ED setting, and to compare these views with the quality of care that is actually delivered, is warranted.

Clinical Impact of a Sepsis Alert System Plus Electronic Sepsis Navigator Using the Epic Sepsis Prediction Model in the Emergency Department

BACKGROUND

The Epic Sepsis Prediction Model (SPM) is a proprietary sepsis prediction algorithm that calculates a score correlating with the likelihood of an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code for sepsis.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the clinical impact of an electronic sepsis alert and navigator using the Epic SPM on time to initial antimicrobial delivery.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of a nonrandomized intervention of an electronic sepsis alert system and navigator using the Epic SPM. Data from the SPM site (site A) was compared with contemporaneous data from hospitals within the same health care system (sites B-D) and historical data from site A. Nonintervention sites used a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)-based alert without a sepsis navigator.

RESULTS

A total of 5368 admissions met inclusion criteria. Time to initial antimicrobial delivery from emergency department arrival was 3.33 h (interquartile range [IQR] 2.10-5.37 h) at site A, 3.22 h (IQR 1.97-5.60; p = 0.437, reference site A) at sites B-D, and 6.20 h (IQR 3.49-11.61 h; p < 0.001, reference site A) at site A historical. After adjustment using matching weights, there was no difference in time from threshold SPM score to initial antimicrobial between contemporaneous sites. Adjusted time to initial antimicrobial improved by 2.87 h (p < 0.001) at site A compared with site A historical.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of an electronic sepsis alert system plus navigator using the Epic SPM showed no difference in time to initial antimicrobial delivery between the contemporaneous SPM alert plus sepsis navigator site and the SIRS-based electronic alert sites within the same health care system.

Exploratory study: Evaluation of a symptom checker effectiveness for providing a diagnosis and evaluating the situation emergency compared to emergency physicians using simulated and standardized patients

BACKGROUND

The overloading of health care systems is an international problem. In this context, new tools such as symptom checker (SC) are emerging to improve patient orientation and triage. This SC should be rigorously evaluated and we can take a cue from the way we evaluate medical students, using objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) with simulated patients.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of a symptom checker versus emergency physicians using OSCEs as an assessment method.

METHODS

We explored a method to evaluate the ability to set a diagnosis and evaluate the emergency of a situation with simulation. A panel of medical experts wrote 220 simulated patients cases. Each situation was played twice by an actor trained to the role: once for the SC, then for an emergency physician. Like a teleconsultation, only the patient's voice was accessible. We performed a prospective non-inferiority study. If primary analysis had failed to detect non-inferiority, we have planned a superiority analysis.

RESULTS

The SC established only 30% of the main diagnosis as the emergency physician found 81% of these. The emergency physician was also superior compared to the SC in the suggestion of secondary diagnosis (92% versus 52%). In the matter of patient triage (vital emergency or not), there is still a medical superiority (96% versus 71%). We prove a non-inferiority of the SC compared to the physician in terms of interviewing time.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

We should use simulated patients instead of clinical cases in order to evaluate the effectiveness of SCs.

The Association between Emergency Department Overcrowding and Delay in Treatment: A Systematic Review

Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a global health issue that is associated with poor quality of care and affects the timeliness of treatment initiation. The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the association between overcrowding and delay in treatment. A systematic review was conducted using four databases (CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library), following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA). A structured search was conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles aimed at assessing the relationship between overcrowding and delay in treatment, published between January 2000 and January 2021. Only studies that were conducted in the ED settings were included, and that includes both triage and observation rooms. The studies were appraised using two quality appraisal tools including the critical appraisal skills programme (CASP) for cohort studies and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist tool for cross-sectional studies. A total of 567 studies screened, and 10 met the inclusion criteria. Of these studies, 8 were cohorts and 2 were cross-sectionals. The majority reported that overcrowding is associated with a delay in the initiation of antibiotics for patients with sepsis and pneumonia. The review identified that overcrowding might impact time-to-treatment and, thus, the quality of care delivered to the patient. However, further research aimed at finding feasible solutions to overcrowding is encouraged.