Epidemiology of sepsis in Colombian intensive care units

Currently, there is not enough data available concerning sepsis in developing countries, especially in Latin America.

We developed a study aimed at determining the frequency, clinical and epidemiological characteristics, and the consequences of sepsis in patients requiring admission to intensive care units in Colombia.

This was a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study carried out over a six-month period, from September 1, 2007, to February 28, 2008, in ten medical/surgical intensive care units in four Colombian cities. Patients were considered eligible if they had a probable or confirmed diagnosis of infection according to medical records. We recorded demographic characteristics, first admission diagnosis and co-morbidities, clinical status, and sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock.

During the study period, 826 patients were admitted to the intensive care units. From these patients, 421 (51%) developed sepsis in the community, 361 (44%) in the ICU, and 44 (5%) during hospitalization in the general ward. Two hundred and fifty three patients (30.6%) had involvement of one organ system: 20% had respiratory involvement, followed by kidney and central nervous system involvement with 3.4% and 2.7%, respectively.

In our cohort of septic patients, the prevalence of sepsis treated in ICU is similar to that reported in other studies, as well as the overall mortality.