Surviving sepsis—but for how long?

Excerpt

Severe sepsis, defined as infection plus a systemic response and organ dysfunction, hypoperfusion, or hypotension [1], occurs in about 10% of patients who are cared for in intensive care units (ICUs) [2, 3]. In the United States the attributable cost of this condition is nearly $17 billion annually [4]. Severe sepsis is associated with a 28-day mortality that ranges between 20% [5] and 55% [2]. Although most of the deaths due to this condition occur during the first month after presentation, mortality has been estimated to be 45% at 5 months after admission [3], 68% at 6 months [6], and 72% at 1 year [6]. In a cohort study of septic patients who had been screened for a study of corticosteroids in systemic sepsis and a control group of noninfected patients, sepsis was found to be associated with an increased risk of death up to 5 years after the septic episode [7]. In 30-day survivors it was associated with a reduction in median survival from 6.2 to 2.4 years [7]. Furthermore, survivors of sepsis report abnormal physical function and general health [8]. …