Chest
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A 57-year-old man was admitted to our hospital via the ED presenting in reduced general condition because of an infection of unknown origin, generalized edema, and dyspnea at rest (peripheral capillary oxygen saturation, 89%) that required 2 L/min intranasal oxygen. Anamnesis was complicated by an infection-triggered delirium, but his wife reported an increasing physical decay that had led to bed confinement. ⋯ Lung auscultation showed mild bipulmonal rales. Previous comorbidities were a BMI of 42 kg/m2, an insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes mellitus with a severe diabetes-related chronic kidney disease stage G4A3, and systemic arterial hypertension.
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Review
Hospital-onset sepsis warrants expanded investigation and consideration as a unique clinical entity.
Sepsis causes more than a quarter million deaths among hospitalized adults in the United States each year. Although most cases of sepsis are present on admission, up to one-quarter of patients with sepsis develop this highly morbid and mortal condition while hospitalized. Compared with patients with community-onset sepsis (COS), patients with hospital-onset sepsis (HOS) are twice as likely to require mechanical ventilation and ICU admission, have more than two times longer ICU and hospital length of stay, accrue five times higher hospital costs, and are twice as likely to die. ⋯ Despite the differences between these patient populations, patients with HOS sepsis are understudied and warrant expanded investigation. Here, we outline important knowledge gaps in the recognition and management of HOS in adults and propose associated research priorities for investigators. Of particular importance are questions regarding standardization of research and clinical case identification, understanding of clinical heterogeneity among patients with HOS, development of tailored management recommendations, identification of impactful prevention strategies, optimization of care delivery and quality metrics, identification and correction of disparities in care and outcomes, and how to ensure goal-concordant care for patients with HOS.