One in every 100 patients in emergency departments experience septic shock or severe sepsis, according to a new study. The median age of male patients who experienced sepsis or septic shock was 75 years old, and 68 years old among female patients. In total 42 patients were found to meet the criteria for severe sepsis or septic shock, which is around one out of every 100 patients. The researchers retrospectively examined emergency department medical records, to judge if the patients met the Health Service Executive criteria for the symptoms of severe sepsis or septic shock. Five patients in the current study who had severe sepsis were transferred from the emergency department to the ICU due to their conditions.

Source: The Irish Times February 13, 2018 15:33 UTC