» Articles » PMID: 20006419

Opportunities for Emergency Medical Services Care of Sepsis

Overview
Journal Resuscitation
Specialty Emergency Medicine
Date 2009 Dec 17
PMID 20006419
Citations 33
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Objective: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems play key roles in the rapid identification and treatment of critical illness such as trauma, myocardial infarction and stroke. EMS often provides care for sepsis, a life-threatening sequelae of infection. In this study of Emergency Department patients admitted to the hospital with an infection, we characterized the patients receiving initial care by EMS.

Methods: We prospectively studied patients with suspected infection presenting to a 50,000 visit urban, academic ED from September 16, 2005-September 30, 2006. We included patients who had abnormal ED vital signs or required hospital admission. We identified patients that received EMS care. Between EMS and non-EMS patients, we compared patient age, sex, nursing home residency, vital signs, comorbidities, source of infection, organ dysfunction, sepsis severity and mortality. We analyzed the data using univariate odds ratios, the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and multivariate logistic regression.

Results: Of 4613 ED patients presenting with serious infections, 1576 (34.2%) received initial EMS care. The mortality rate among those transported by EMS was 126/1576 (8.0%) compared to 67/3037 (2.2%) in those who were not. Adjusted mortality was higher for EMS (OR 1.8, 95% CI: 1.3-2.6). Of patients who qualified for protocolized sepsis care in the ED, 99/162 (61.1%) were transported via EMS. EMS patients were more likely to present with severe sepsis (OR 3.9; 3.4-4.5) or septic shock (OR 3.6; 2.6-5.0). EMS patients had higher sepsis acuity (mortality in ED sepsis score 6 vs. 3, p<0.001).

Conclusions: EMS provides initial care for over one-third of ED infection patients, including the majority of patients with severe sepsis, septic shock, and those who ultimately die. EMS systems may offer important opportunities for advancing sepsis diagnosis and care.

Citing Articles

Interpretable machine learning for predicting sepsis risk in emergency triage patients.

Liu Z, Shu W, Li T, Zhang X, Chong W Sci Rep. 2025; 15(1):887.

PMID: 39762406 PMC: 11704257. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-85121-z.


The performance of screening tools and use of blood analyses in prehospital identification of sepsis patients and patients suitable for non-conveyance - an observational study.

Olander A, Frick L, Johansson J, Wibring K BMC Emerg Med. 2024; 24(1):180.

PMID: 39379809 PMC: 11462654. DOI: 10.1186/s12873-024-01098-4.


Prior emergency medical services utilization is a risk factor for in-hospital death among patients with substance misuse: a retrospective cohort study.

Gupta P, Mayampurath A, Gruenloh T, Oguss M, Afshar A, Spigner M BMC Emerg Med. 2024; 24(1):110.

PMID: 38982351 PMC: 11234660. DOI: 10.1186/s12873-024-01025-7.


Diagnosis of sepsis in the emergency department: a real-world analysis from Lombardy, Italy.

Bosetti C, Santucci C, Signorini F, Cortellaro F, Villa G, Rossi C Intern Emerg Med. 2023; 19(2):313-320.

PMID: 37938481 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-023-03464-9.


Predicting sepsis using a combination of clinical information and molecular immune markers sampled in the ambulance.

Tuerxun K, Eklund D, Wallgren U, Dannenberg K, Repsilber D, Kruse R Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):14917.

PMID: 37691028 PMC: 10493220. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42081-6.


References
1.
Jones A, Leonard M, Hernandez-Nino J, Kline J . Determination of the effect of in vitro time, temperature, and tourniquet use on whole blood venous point-of-care lactate concentrations. Acad Emerg Med. 2007; 14(7):587-91. DOI: 10.1197/j.aem.2007.03.1351. View

2.
Cooper G, Laskowski-Jones L . Development of trauma care systems. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2006; 10(3):328-31. DOI: 10.1080/10903120600728755. View

3.
Angus D, Wax R . Epidemiology of sepsis: an update. Crit Care Med. 2001; 29(7 Suppl):S109-16. DOI: 10.1097/00003246-200107001-00035. View

4.
Shapiro N, Howell M, Talmor D, Lahey D, Ngo L, Buras J . Implementation and outcomes of the Multiple Urgent Sepsis Therapies (MUST) protocol. Crit Care Med. 2006; 34(4):1025-32. DOI: 10.1097/01.CCM.0000206104.18647.A8. View

5.
Blackwell T, Kellam J, Thomason M . Trauma care systems in the United States. Injury. 2003; 34(9):735-9. DOI: 10.1016/s0020-1383(03)00152-9. View