Sepsis a global burden [1-6]

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) caused by mostly bacterial infections. It is a global health concern and a leading cause of death in hospitals. Recent studies estimate nearly 50 million cases for 2017, with 40% of them affecting children and newborns under the age of five.

According to the sepsis-3 criteria sepsis is described as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by infections. Cases of severe sepsis lead to multiple organ failure or septic shock, resulting in a mortality rate >22% in all sepsis patients. Early diagnosis and immediate treatment of sepsis is the key to improve odds of survival. For every hour without proper treatment, the mortality rate increases by ~ 7.6 %. In addition, 50% of survivors suffer long-term physiological and psychological consequences (post-sepsis syndrome).

Most common causes [7-9]

Respiratory tract infections 36%
Genitourinary tract infections 36%
Catheter related infections 5-10%
Intra abdominal infections 5%
Primary bacteremia infections 7%
Skin infections 8%
Other unspecified infections 22%