Characterization of Sepsis in a Tertiary Hospital After the Hospital’s Cooperation With the Latin American Institute of Sepsis – A 12-Month Follow-Up Snapshot

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction and is associated with high lethality. The Sepsis Protocol contains guidelines that guide the team in order to optimize diagnosis and effective treatment of sepsis. To characterize the results of implementing the Sepsis Protocol in a tertiary hospital after a cooperation project with the Latin American Institute of Sepsis Studies (ILAS). Location: Tertiary hospital in Goiânia/Brazil, with 176 beds, including 20 ICU beds. Period: January to December/2024. Cooperation between ILAS and the institution was established for 12 months to follow up on the managed project for sepsis diagnosis and management. ILAS provided the electronic version of the Roadmap for Implementation of Managed Sepsis Protocols; provided a training video for data collection and entry into the computerized system. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee CAAE: 47937621.7.000.5082. The team adapted the institutional protocol according to ILAS recommendations, carried out applicable training, and recorded cases of sepsis and septic shock on the website www.ilasonline.org.br . Twenty training modules were carried out, with daily data entry, totaling 5 hours per week. A total of 279 sepsis protocols were opened over 12 months. Sepsis-associated lethality was 20.7% (59 deaths). Adherence to protocol opening increased from 47% (30) in the 1st quarter to 92% (97) in the last. In the 1st quarter, 50% of patients presented septic shock at protocol opening, with reductions in subsequent quarters: 46.3%, 29.0% and 21.1%, respectively. Pneumonia was the main infectious focus (71.32% n = 102), followed by urinary tract infection (10.4% n = 15). Adherence to antimicrobial administration within the first hour was 63% (19/30) in the 1st quarter and 73.1% (71/97) in the 4th quarter. No adherence to the 6-hour bundle was observed in the 1st quarter (0/30), whereas there was 68% (66/97) adherence in the 4th quarter. Sepsis-associated lethality in the previous year was 25.6% and in the study period was 20.7%. We observed improved adherence to the sepsis protocol, with earlier opening, increased adherence to antibiotic administration within the first hour, and a lower percentage of patients in septic shock. These measures were important to improve quality of care and ensure better outcomes, with a trend toward reduced sepsis lethality during the period.