Should We Use 30 Minutes as a Goal for Initiation of Fluids in Sepsis?

Early antibiotics and fluid resuscitation are the cornerstones of current treatment for sepsis. To determine if initiation of intravenous (IV) fluids within 30 minutes of recognition of sepsis improves outcomes, investigators reviewed prospectively collected data from a single center during a 13-month period.

Of 1866 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock, 64% had IV fluids initiated within 30 minutes. The early-fluids group had significantly lower mortality (13.3% vs. 18.3%) and hospital stay (median, 6 vs. 7 days). In a multivariable analysis that controlled for variables including age, lactate level, hypotension, acute organ dysfunction, and Emergency Severity Index score, IV fluid initiation within 30 minutes was associated with 0.6…