Background: Severe sepsis and septic shock represent common presentations in the emergency department (ED) and have high rates of mortality. Guideline-recommended goals of care have been shown to benefit these patients, but can be difficult to provide.
Objective: To determine whether the use of a premixed bag consisting of 2 g cefepime and 1 g vancomycin in 1000 mL of normal saline increases the probability of patients receiving Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) recommendations for the initiation of antimicrobials and fluid challenge.
Methods: This was a 6-month retrospective analysis conducted to determine the impact of an intervention on time to antimicrobials and fluid administration in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Patients presenting to the ED who received a diagnosis of severe sepsis or septic shock and were administered 2 antibiotics were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome assessed was compliance with SSC recommendations for antibiotic and fluid goals within 3 hours of ED arrival.
Results: A total of 160 patients were included. In the intervention group, 63.8% of patients met the primary outcome compared with 22.5% in the historical group (odds ratio = 2.32; 95% CI = 1.67-3.23). Time to administration of antibiotics was less with the combination antibiotic bag (CAB: median (IQR) = 72 (48-115) minutes; non-CAB: median (IQR) = 135 (102-244) minutes; P ≤ 0.001).
Conclusion: This intervention significantly increased the proportion of patients provided with SSC goals of care. Such interventions have not been reported previously and could be meaningful in the management of severe sepsis and septic shock.
Keywords: antibiotics; clinical practice; drug administration; emergency medicine; sepsis.