Defining sepsis in the ICU: a sensitivity analysis

Excerpt

According to Consensus Conference [1] and PROWESS study criteria [2], the diagnosis of sepsis requires evidence of infection and the presence of a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) that is characterized by specific physiological alterations. Although these criteria are widely accepted in clinical practice and research, they have been criticized for being nonspecific and nonrobust in both clinical practice and clinical research settings [3]. With regard to these issues, it remains unknown to what extent differences in the frequency (every minute vs. hourly), timing (SIRS criteria transiently present at any time point in the last 24 hours vs. simultaneously present during a longer period) and method (automated vs. manual) of data capture may affect the diagnosis of sepsis. In this study we aimed to quantify the effect of minor variations in the definition of SIRS on the apparent incidence of sepsis. …