Epidemiology and Outcomes of Severe Sepsis in Critical Care Systems

Severe sepsis, characterised by life-threatening organ dysfunction in response to infection, remains a leading cause of critical illness worldwide. Incidence estimates vary across regions, with hospitalised rates reported between 300 and 800 cases per 100 000 population annually, and rising trends linked to ageing populations and expanding comorbidity burdens. In intensive care units, case-fatality rates historically approached 40–50 %, although improvements in early recognition, protocolised resuscitation and antimicrobial stewardship have driven modest declines in mortality. Geographical disparities persist: resource-rich settings often achieve lower short-term mortality but face growing burdens of long-term physical and cognitive sequelae among survivors. Key determinants of outcome include age, number and severity of organ failures, underlying chronic disease, socioeconomic deprivation and specific immunological profiles. Recent advances in electronic health record surveillance, clinical risk stratification and post-discharge follow-up highlight both global challenges and opportunities to refine care pathways, target high-risk populations and mitigate long-term disability after severe sepsis.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Epidemiology and Outcomes of Severe Sepsis in Critical Care Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in epidemiology and outcomes of severe sepsis in critical care systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Severe sepsis: life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection.

Septic shock: a subset of sepsis with circulatory and metabolic abnormalities requiring vasopressor support to maintain blood pressure despite fluid resuscitation.

Case fatality rate (CFR): the proportion of patients with a defined condition who die within a specified period after diagnosis.

Electronic health record (EHR)-based surveillance: continuous monitoring of clinical, laboratory and treatment data captured in digital medical records to identify and track disease incidence.

Comorbidity index: a quantitative measure of the number and severity of coexisting chronic conditions that influence prognosis and resource use.

References

1. Population Sepsis Incidence, Mortality, and Trends in Hong Kong Between 2009 and 2018 Using Clinical and Administrative Data. Clinical Infectious Diseases (2023).
2. National incidence and mortality of hospitalized sepsis in China. Critical Care (2023).
3. Clinical and health inequality risk factors for non-COVID-related sepsis during the global COVID-19 pandemic: a national case-control and cohort study. EClinicalMedicine (2023).