AB102. SOH24AB_174. Sepsis in the intensive care unit: are patients receiving the sepsis bundle within the ‘golden hour’?—A retrospective observational study

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition arising from the body’s response to infection causing injury to its own tissues and organs. In 2016, there were 14,804 cases of sepsis documented in Ireland and 1 in 5 of these patients died. Sepsis 6 is the name given to a bundle of therapies designed to reduce mortality in patients with sepsis. It includes blood cultures, blood tests including lactate and measuring urinary output. It also includes the administration of intravenous fluids, broad spectrum antimicrobial therapy and oxygen within one hour of recognition of sepsis.

Methods: Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with multiorgan failure secondary to sepsis over a six-month period were included in this study. The time interval between recognition of sepsis and completion of the sepsis bundle was recorded from patient notes and laboratory results. Patient outcomes including length of stay, morbidity and mortality were compared between those who received the bundle within 1 hour and those who did not.

Results: Data collection for this study was ongoing at the time of abstract submission. Provisional data (n=5) demonstrated that the sepsis bundle was not completed within the recommend hour for any patient admitted to ICU with sepsis and multiorgan failure.

Conclusions: Recognition of sepsis and early intervention improves patient outcomes. However, there is a disparity between the recommended ‘golden hour’ for sepsis management and the actuality of completion of the sepsis bundle in a busy university hospital. Further review of the sepsis bundle, staff education and allocation of resources are warranted.

Keywords: Sepsis; intensive care; sepsis 6; multiorgan failure; quality improvement