Dive Brief:
- Severe sepsis mortality rates have fallen significantly over the past two decades, according to a new study appearing in Critical Care Medicine.
- Researchers studied data from severe sepsis or septic shock patients enrolled in 36 multicenter clinical trials.
- The data showed that in-hospital sepsis mortality rates dropped from 47% between 1991 and 1995 to 29% between 2006 and 2009, a result comparable to the introduction of a new drug.
Dive Insight:
With no new drugs in place during the periods studied, it's clear that hospitals have improved the protocols used to treat sepsis patients. Now, having recognized the effectiveness of maturing sepsis protocols, clinicians can refine sepsis treatment further and perhaps lower mortality even more.This is definitely encouraging news.