[Sepsis : putting knowledge into practice]

Urosepsis--Etiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment

BACKGROUND

Sepsis is among the most common causes of death in Germany. Urosepsis accounts for 9-31% of all cases and has a mortality of 20-40%, which is low compared with that of sepsis in general. As the population ages, the incidence of urosepsis is likely to rise.

METHODS

Review of pertinent articles and guidelines retrieved by a selective search in PubMed.

RESULTS

Enterobacteria and Gram-positive organisms are the pathogens that most commonly cause urosepsis. The diagnosis can and must be made early on the basis of the typical clinical features, altered vital signs, and laboratory abnormalities, so that timely treatment can be initiated. 80% of cases are due to obstructive uropathy. The diagnostic evaluation includes physical examination, blood cultures, urinalysis, procalcitonin measurement, and ultrasonography. In one study, each additional hour of delay in the treatment of urosepsis with antibiotics was found to lower the survival rate by 7.6%. Antibiotics should be chosen in consideration of local resistance patterns and the expected pathogen spectrum.

CONCLUSION

Urologists, intensive care specialists, and microbiologists should all be involved in the interdisciplinary treatment of urosepsis. Patients' outcomes have improved recently, probably because of the frequent use of minimally invasive treatments to neutralize foci of infection. New biomarkers and new treatments still need to be validated in multicenter trials.

[Early goal directed therapy in severe sepsis]

BACKGOUND

The treatment of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock continues to evolve. Recent studies have enunciated the benefit of early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) during the first 6 h after recognition of the condition. With EGDT a reduction in mortality of over 16% was shown over standard care. Thereafter the components of the EGDT were consequently implemented in the international Surviving Sepsis Campaign as well as the German sepsis guidelines. Nevertheless the medical community's enthusiasm for EGDT has remained indecisive. There remains a profound skepticism about treatment targets such as central venous pressure or mean arterial pressure as well as central venous oxygen saturation. Moreover multiple barriers such as critical shortage of nursing staff, problems in obtaining central venous pressure monitoring or lack of agreement with the EGDT resuscitation protocol may lead to non-adherence to EGDT early in the course of sepsis.

RECENT STUDY RESULTS

In a recent multicenter trial, protocol-based resuscitation of patients in whom septic shock was diagnosed in the emergency department did not improve outcomes.

RECOMMENDATION

The Severe Sepsis 3-Hour Resuscitation Bundle and the 6-Hour Septic Shock Bundle represent a distillation of the concepts and recommendations found in the practice guidelines published by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign. The bundles are designed to allow teams to follow the timing, sequence, and goals of the individual elements of care. Early recognition, early mobilization of resources, and multidisciplinary collaboration are imperative to enhance the prognosis of patients with sepsis.

[The golden hour of sepsis: initial therapy should start in the prehospital setting]

BACKGROUND

Sepsis is a common, time-urgent emergency that is still associated with a high mortality and morbidity rate. A strong correlation between the onset of therapy and survival has been shown. With every hour of delay, survival decreases by 7.6 %. In 2001, four treatment goals that should be performed in the first 6 h of treatment were developed. These form the basis of early goal-directed therapy (EDGT) which is accepted as the standard of treatment for sepsis in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVES

More than half of patients are admitted to the hospital by medical emergency services. Up to 40 % receive prehospital therapy with i.v. fluids and stabilization of vital signs according to the goals of EDGT. The diagnosis of sepsis is difficult if characteristic symptoms or parameters such as in the ST segment elevation myocardial infarction are lacking. However, 90 % of patients present with fever.

CONCLUSIONS

Body temperature should always be assessed by paramedics. In addition, sepsis must always be considered as part of the differential diagnosis. If the suspicion cannot be ruled out, immediate therapy has to be initiated. Concerning the prehospital use of antibiotics, preliminary results of a study from the center of sepsis control and care in Jena, Germany, showed that this therapy form seems to be safe and effective, but further evaluation is necessary.