Early identification and management of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock in the emergency department

Joshua Keegan; Charles R Wira 3rd

doi:10.1016/j.emc.2014.07.002

Early identification and management of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock in the emergency department

Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2014 Nov;32(4):759-76. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2014.07.002. Epub 2014 Sep 3.

Authors

Joshua Keegan¹, Charles R Wira 3rd²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, 464 Congress Avenue, Suite 260, New Haven, CT 06450, USA. Electronic address: josh.keegan@gmail.com.
² Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, 464 Congress Avenue, Suite 260, New Haven, CT 06450, USA.

PMID: 25441033
DOI: 10.1016/j.emc.2014.07.002

Abstract

Severe sepsis and septic shock have great relevance to Emergency Medicine physicians because of their high prevalence, morbidity, and mortality. Treatment is time-sensitive, depends on early identification risk stratification, and has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes. In this article, we review the pathophysiology of, and evidence basis for, the emergency department management of severe sepsis and septic shock.

Keywords: Early goal-directed therapy; Organ dysfunction; Sepsis; Sepsis bundles; Shock.

MeSH terms

Algorithms
Emergency Service, Hospital
Humans
Risk Assessment
Sepsis / diagnosis*
Sepsis / mortality
Sepsis / physiopathology
Sepsis / therapy*
Shock, Septic / diagnosis*
Shock, Septic / mortality
Shock, Septic / physiopathology
Shock, Septic / therapy*
Vasoconstrictor Agents / therapeutic use

Substances

Vasoconstrictor Agents