Mortalityfromsepsisandsepticshock

High mortality despite modern intensive care medicine

Sepsis and septic shock remain key drivers of mortality in critically ill patients.

Publication data

Journal: Critical Care
Publication: 19 May 2020
Authors: Bauer, Gerlach, Vogelmann, Preissing, Stiefel, Adam
Type of study: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Data base: 170 included studies out of 4,500 identified records

Authors and affiliations

University Hospital Jena, Clinic for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Jena, Germany Michael Bauer Vivantes Neukölln Hospital, Berlin, Germany Herwig GerlachLinkCare GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany Tobias Vogelmann & Julia Stiefel CytoSorbents Europe GmbH, Berlin, Germany Franziska Preissing & Daniel Adam

This systematic review and meta-analysis examines 30- and 90-day mortality in sepsis and septic shock in Europe, North America and Australia between 2009 and 2019. The aim was to determine reliable mortality rates and to highlight differences by region, study design and disease severity.

Key results

30-day mortality in septic shock: 34.7 % 90-day mortality in septic shock: 38.5 % 30-day mortality in sepsis: 24.4 % 90-day mortality in sepsis: 32.2 % With each additional point in the SOFA score, the average mortality increased by 1.8-3.3 %.

Classification and conclusion

The study shows that sepsis and septic shock remain associated with high mortality even after years of medical progress. Regional differences and the dependence on the severity of the disease emphasise that there is still a need for improvement in sepsis management. The results provide a reliable basis for the assessment of mortality in sepsis and septic shock. They emphasise the need to further improve diagnostics, treatment pathways and quality of care.