Bacteremia is linked to substantial morbidity and medical costs. However, the association between the timing of achieving hemodynamic stability and clinical outcomes remains undetermined. Of the multicenter cohort consisted of 888 adults with community-onset bacteremia initially complicated with severe sepsis and septic shock in the emergency department (ED), a positive linear-by-linear association (γ = 0.839, p < 0.001) of the time-to-appropriate antibiotic (TtAa) and the hypotension period after appropriate antimicrobial therapy (AAT) was exhibited, and a positive trend of the hypotension period after AAT administration in the 15-day (γ = 0.957, p = 0.003) or 30-day crude (γ = 0.975, p = 0.001) mortality rate was evidenced. Moreover, for every hour delay of the TtAa, 30-day survival dropped an average of 0.8% (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.008; p < 0.001); and each additional hour of the hypotension period following AAT initiation notably resulted in with an average 1.1% increase (AOR, 1.011; p < 0.001) in the 30-day crude mortality rate, after adjusting all independent determinants of 30-day mortality recognized by the multivariate regression model. Conclusively, for bacteremia patients initially experiencing severe sepsis and septic shock, prompt AAT administration might shorten the hypotension period to achieve favourable prognoses.
Keywords: antibiotic; bacteremia; empirical; septic shock; severe sepsis; vasopressor agents.