Again, Early Antibiotics Are Better for Patients with Severe Sepsis

Early antibiotics are associated with decreased mortality for patients with severe sepsis. To evaluate whether early administration of antibiotics is also associated with decreased progression to septic shock, investigators conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients who presented to a single emergency department with severe sepsis over an 8-year period.

Among nearly 5000 patients with severe sepsis, approximately 21% presented in septic shock and were excluded. One quarter of the remaining cohort progressed from severe sepsis to septic shock. The median time to initial antimicrobial administration was significantly longer for patients who progressed to septic shock than for those who did not progress (3.77 hours vs. 2.76 hours)…