Trends and disparities in sepsis hospitalisations in Victoria, Australia

Objective The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with sepsis admitted to hospitals in Victoria, Australia, during the period 2004-14. The data include incidence, severity and mortality. Methods In all, 44222 sepsis hospitalisations were identified between 2004-05 and 2013-14 from the Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset. The dataset contains clinical and demographic information on all admissions to acute public and private hospitals. Using the International Classification of Diseases (10th Revision) Australian Modification codes, incidence rates, severity of disease and mortality were calculated. Results Sepsis hospitalisation rates per 10000 population increased significantly (P<0.01) over the period, from 6.9 (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.6-7.8) to 10.0 (95% CI 9.1-11.1), an annual growth rate of 3.8%. The age-standardised in-hospital death rates per 100000 population grew significantly (P<0.01) from 9.2 (95% CI 7.8-10.4) in 2004-05 to 13.0 (95% CI 11.7-14.6) in 2013-14, an annual growth rate of 3.1%. Among people under 45 years of age, the 0-4 years age group had the highest hospitalisation rate (3.0 per 10000 population; 95% CI 2.7-3.4). Nearly half (46.2%) of all sepsis hospitalisations were among patients born overseas, with a rate of 14.5 per 10000 population (95% CI 12.4-16.2) in that group compared with a rate of 5.9 per 10000 population (95% CI 5.3-6.7) for patients born in Australia. The age-standardised sepsis hospitalisation rate was 2.6-fold greater in the lowest compared with highest socioeconomic areas (12.7 per 10000 population (95% CI 11.2-13.8) vs 4.8 per 10000 population (95% CI 4.1-5.7), respectively). Conclusion This paper shows a significant upward trend in both sepsis separation rates and in-hospital death rates over the period; unlike sepsis, in-hospital death rates from all diagnoses fell over the same period. The results can be used to stimulate review of clinical practice. Greater understanding of the epidemiology of sepsis could improve care quality and outcomes. What is known about the topic? Sepsis is associated with high mortality rates and severe sepsis is the most common cause of death in intensive care units (ICU). The last published study of sepsis in Victoria (in 2005) showed a gradual rise in rates; since then, there is little information as to whether there has been any significant improvement in treatment outcomes. What does this paper add? This paper provides new information by analysing trends and variations in sepsis hospitalisations in Victoria by several demographic groups from 2004-05 to 2013-14. What are the implications for practitioners? Patients with severe sepsis consume approximately half the ICU resources. Reliable and recent data on the growth of this disease are important for prevention, allocation of resources and to track the effectiveness of care. A key area for intervention is promoting greater adherence to clinical guidelines.