JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
-
Sepsis syndrome is a leading cause of mortality in hospitalized patients. However, few studies have described the epidemiology of sepsis syndrome in a hospitalwide population. ⋯ Sepsis syndrome is common in academic hospitals, although the overall rates vary considerably with the patient population. A substantial fraction of cases occur outside ICUs. An understanding of the hospitalwide epidemiology of sepsis syndrome is vital for rational planning and treatment of hospitalized patients with sepsis syndrome, especially as new and expensive therapeutic agents become available.