The Epidemiology of Sepsis in the United States from 1979 through 2000

This analysis of discharge data from over 750 million acute care hospitalizations shows that the rate of sepsis more than doubled from 1979 to 2000. However, mortality from any cause declined from 28 percent in the early years of the study to 18 percent in more recent years. Since 1988, gram-positive organisms have become the predominant pathogens causing sepsis. Care of patients with sepsis costs as much as $50,000 per patient, 1 resulting in an economic burden of nearly $17 billion annually in the United States alone. 2 Sepsis is often lethal, killing 20 to 50 percent of severely affected patients. 3 It is the second leading cause of death among patients in noncoronary intensive care units (ICUs) 4 and the 10th leading cause of death overall in the United States. 5 Furthermore, sepsis substantially reduces the quality of life of those who survive. 6 , 7 Accurate national data on sepsis may be used to establish health care policy and to allocate health care resources. . . .