Life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection
Subset of sepsis with circulatory and cellular/metabolic dysfunction associated with a higher risk of mortality.
Patients with septic shock present with:
Time of triage in the emergency department or, if referred from another care location, from the earliest chart annotation consistent with all elements of sepsis or septic shock ascertained through chart review.
Sepsis and septic shock are medical emergencies. Resuscitation and administration of IV antimicrobials must be initiated as soon as possible after recognition and within 1 hour for both sepsis and septic shock. Each hour delay in administration of appropriate antimicrobials is associated with an increase in mortality.
Empiric therapy should be narrowed once culture results are available.
If no infection is proven to be present, antimicrobials should be discontinued.