Does Early and Appropriate Antibiotic Administration Improve Mortality in Emergency Department Patients with Severe Sepsis or Septic Shock?

BACKGROUND

Severe sepsis and septic shock remain significant public health concerns. Appropriate emergency department management includes early recognition, hemodynamic resuscitation, source control, and prompt antibiotic administration. Current international guidelines strongly recommend administration of early and appropriate antibiotics for patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Interestingly, a recent Cochrane Review found insufficient evidence to provide a similar recommendation on antibiotic administration. The goal of this literature search was to systematically review the available literature on early and appropriate antimicrobial therapy and provide emergency physicians an evidence-based approach to antibiotic therapy for septic patients.

METHODS

Four PubMed searches were completed to identify abstracts of relevant interest. We limited studies to those completed in adult humans that were composed in English between 2005 and 2015. Included studies were randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, prospective trials, and retrospective cohort studies. These studies were identified by a rigorous search methodology. No review articles, case series, or case reports were included. Predefined criteria were used to evaluate the quality and appropriateness of selected articles as part of a structured review.

RESULTS

A total of 1552 abstracts were evaluated for inclusion. After the review of these studies, 14 were included for formal review. The authors then systematically evaluated each study, which formed the basis for this clinical statement.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with severe sepsis and septic shock should receive early and appropriate antibiotics in the emergency department. Patients with septic shock who received appropriate antimicrobial therapy within 1 h of recognition had the greatest benefit in mortality.