A program to improve sepsis management in the Emergency Department: a multicenter prospective study in France

Implementation of a regional sepsis program to improve compliance with sepsis care bundles and optimize septic patient management and outcomes in the Emergency Department (ED). The program included a multifaceted intervention in 8 EDs: creation of a regional sepsis team, meetings, education (yearly 6-h course and site visits) and sepsis alert. Clinical practice was evaluated in each ED during 1 month every year over 3 years. The primary outcome was the initiation of all criteria of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) bundle within 3 h after triage. Secondary outcomes were the initiation of the 3-h bundle in patients with hypotension (SBP ≤ 100 mmHg), admission related to infection or not, proportion of organ supports, subsequent intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and early mortality (day 7). During the 3-month study period, 739 patients were identified with a sepsis including 8% with septic shock. Compliance with the SSC bundle improved during the three periods (P1: 28/176 (16%), P2: 42/272 (15%), P3:69/291 (24%), p = 0.023). In patients with hypotension (n = 142, 19%), no improvement was observed (P1:12/38 (32%), P2:18/46 (39%), P3: 28/58 (48%), p = 0.255). Mortality on day 7 was also similar (10% vs 11% vs 9%, p = 0.621). In multivariate analysis, age (OR = 1.03; 95% CI 1.01-1.05, p = 0.003) and confusion (OR = 2.37; 95% CI 1.37-4.14, p = 0.002) were independently associated with D7 mortality. Patients referred to ED for infection had a better prognosis compared to those with a non-specific reason (OR = 0.56; 95% CI 0.32-0.97, p = 0.038). A regional sepsis educational program appears to improve compliance with the SSC bundle. Pre-hospital identification of sepsis appears to improve further management.