Background: In 2011, sepsis accounted for more than $20 billion (5.2%) of total US hospital costs.  The CDC estimates that hospitalizations for sepsis or septicemia increased from 621,000 to 1,141,000 in 2000 and 2008 respectively.  Severe sepsis has an in-hospital mortality rate of 28.6-37.7%, and those who survive may face a difficult recovery including long-term [...]

Background: Sepsis and septic shock, critical health concerns in the U.S., demonstrate varied mortality rates across different racial groups. This study examines the impact of race on mortality and complications in septic shock, providing insights into healthcare disparities. Methods: Using data from the National Inpatient Sample database (2016-2020), this retrospective analysis included 2,789,890 patients with [...]

Background: Septic arthritis (SA) of native joints has an incidence rate of 4-12 per 100,000 person-years. In 2012, there were 36, 539 hospitalizations for SA in US non-VA hospitals and costed the US healthcare system $2.85 billion. Such data has not been reported for US VA-healthcare System. SA has a mortality of 4-13%. Among survivors [...]

Background: Sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock combined, are estimated to affect between 650,000 and 750,000 Americans annually, and has an associated mortality rate between 20 to 50%.  Early identification of patients with sepsis is critical, as treatment delays are associated with significant increases in mortality. The electronic health record (EHR) contains near-real-time physiologic parameters, [...]

Background: Nosocomial infections contribute significantly to morbidity and increase health care costs for both pediatric and adult patients in the United States.(1) Intravenous access remains a main source of nosocomial infections from environmental and (non-intentional) aseptic technique violations by healthcare providers via contact with stopcocks, IV tubing, and syringes.(2,3) Stopcock contamination and repeated syringe strokes [...]

Background: Septic shock is a significant burden: average length of stay (LOS) for sepsis patients in US hospitals is 75% greater than most other conditions. Mean LOS dramatically increases with sepsis severity: 4.5 days for sepsis, 6.5 for severe sepsis, and 16.5 for septic shock. Administration of antibiotics in < 1 hour after presentation at [...]

Background: Sepsis is a leading cause of death among hospitalized patients. Early detection of sepsis has the potential to reduce mortality by facilitating timely evidence-based interventions. Past studies have used electronic health records (EHR) to trigger alerts at the onset of sepsis, or to predict general clinical deterioration. In this study we describe the impact [...]

Background: Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality among hospitalized patients. Early detection and intervention reduces sepsis-related mortality. We implemented a novel early warning system (EWS 2.0) based on a machine-learning algorithm to prospectively identify patients with increased risk of severe sepsis or septic shock. Validation suggested excellent predictive characteristics, including a positive likelihood ratio [...]

Background: BACKGROUNDSepsis has been recognized as a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the United States. If not recognized and managed promptly, it can lead to septic shock which is one of the leading causes of deaths in the hospital (WHO, 2020). To promote early identification and treatment of severe sepsis and septic shock, [...]

Case Presentation: A 61 year old female presented to the emergency department with 1 day of nausea, vomiting, and fever. The day prior to her symptom onset, she had undergone a colonoscopy for colon cancer screening that was normal. Her medical history was notable for splenectomy in 2000 for a hamartoma.On presentation, her temperature was [...]