B Acad Nat Med Paris
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B Acad Nat Med Paris · Jan 2004
Multicenter Study Comparative Study[Epidemiology of infection and sepsis in intensive care unit patients].
Since 1992, epidemiological and clinical studies have classified severe infections into three categories: sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock. Microbiological documentation is not always provided. We used a different approach, focusing on the infection itself, whether or not it is microbiologically documented or associated with sepsis. ⋯ The in-hospital mortality rate increased with severity, from 20% for sepsis to 40% for severe sepsis and 60% for septic shock, but also depended on the origin of infection (community vs hospital/ICU). Crude incidence rates of ICU infection were high, varying among ICUs and patient subsets. Thus, vital outcome depends not only on the severity of sepsis but also on the characteristics of the infection.