What Is the True Incidence of Severe Sepsis in the U.S.?

Estimates for 2004 though 2009 varied from 300 to >1000 cases per 100,000 population annually, depending on the definitions and ICD codes used.

In 1992, the American College of Chest Physicians and the Society for Critical Care Medicine issued definitions of sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock. These definitions have been widely adopted, and their use has greatly advanced sepsis research. In 2002 and 2003, specific ICD- 9 codes for these conditions were introduced. Despite reliance on ICD-9 codes, however, methodologic differences in epidemiologic studies have led to widely disparate estimates of incidence and mortality. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have used National Inpatient Sample data for 2004 through 2009 to compare four methods of identifying cases of severe sepsis: those of Angus (Crit Care Med 2001; 29:1303), Martin (N Engl J Med 2003; 348:1546), …

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection