"SEPSIS AND SEPTIC SHOCK AS REASONS FOR ADMISSION TO A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL – CHARACTERISTICS AND MORTALITY"

CHARACTERISTICS AND MORTALITY

Abstract

Introduction: Sepsis represents an important cause of admission and mortality among patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU). Objective: To describe the characteristics and morbidity and mortality outcomes of patients with sepsis/septic shock upon admission to the ICU of a high-complexity university hospital. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Adult patients with a diagnosis of sepsis/septic shock admitted to the ICU of the University Hospital of the Federal University of Maranhão (HU-UFMA) between 09/01/2021 and 12/31/2022, with known outcomes, were selected, excluding readmissions. Data were collected from the ICU database (EpimedR) and the electronic medical records of HU-UFMA (AGHUR). The statistical analysis began with an exploratory analysis of the data to obtain the characteristics of the study population, followed by a comparison between patients admitted with sepsis/septic shock and those admitted for other clinical causes. Pearson’s Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were used as appropriate, with a significance level of 0.05. Results: A total of 43 patients admitted with sepsis/septic shock during the period were studied, with ICU and hospital mortality rates of 44% and 53%, respectively. When compared to 198 patients admitted for other clinical causes, patients with sepsis/septic shock had higher severity and organ dysfunction scores at admission (p<0.001), greater use of vasopressor drugs (p<0.001), and renal replacement therapy (p = 0.01), with higher ICU mortality (p = 0.01). Conclusion: Patients with sepsis/septic shock at the time of ICU admission had high morbidity and mortality, emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis and timely referral to the ICU