Emergency medicine clinics of North America
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Resuscitation goals for the patient with sepsis and septic shock are to return the patient to a physiologic state that promotes adequate end-organ perfusion along with matching metabolic supply and demand. Ideal resuscitation end points should assess the adequacy of tissue oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption, and be quantifiable and reproducible. ⋯ Thus, the clinician must rely on multiple end points to assess the patient's overall response to therapy. This review will discuss the role and limitations of central venous pressure (CVP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and cardiac output/index as macrocirculatory resuscitation targets along with lactate, central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2), central venous-arterial CO2 gradient, urine output, and capillary refill time as microcirculatory resuscitation endpoints in patients with sepsis.
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Prehospital care providers are tasked with the delivery of time-sensitive care, and emergency medical services (EMS) systems must match patients to appropriate clinical resources. Modern systems are uniquely positioned to recognize and treat patients with sepsis. Interventions such as administration of intravenous fluid and transporting patients to the appropriate level of definitive care are linked to improved patient outcomes. As EMS systems refine their protocols for the recognition and stabilization of patients with suspected or presumed sepsis, EMS providers need to be educated about the spectrum of sepsis-related presentations and treatment strategies need to be standardized.
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Prescribing antibiotics is an essential component of initial therapy in sepsis. Early antibiotics are an important component of therapy, but speed of administration should not overshadow the patient-specific characteristics that determine the optimal breadth of antimicrobial therapy. ⋯ Combination antibiotic therapy against gram-negative infections is not routinely required, and combination therapy involving vancomycin and piperacillin/tazobactam is associated with an increase in acute kidney injury. Emergency practitioners should be aware of special considerations in the administration and dosing of antibiotics in order to deliver optimal care to septic patients.
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Identifying sources of infection and establishing source control is an essential component of the workup and treatment of sepsis. Investigation with history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and imaging can in identifying sources of infection. ⋯ Interventions include administration of antibiotics and may require surgical or other specialist intervention. This is highlighted by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign with specific recommendations for time to antibiotics and expeditious time to surgical source control.
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Recent literature continues to refine which components of the early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) algorithm are necessary. Given it utilizes central venous pressure, continuous central venous oxygen saturation, routine blood transfusions, and inotropic medications, this algorithm can be timely, invasive, costly, and potentially harmful. New trials highlight early recognition, early fluid resuscitation, appropriate antibiotic treatment, source control, and the application of a multidisciplinary evidence-based approach as essential components of current sepsis management. This article discusses the landmark sepsis trials that have been published over the past several decades and offers recommendations on what should currently be considered 'usual care'.