New Recommendations for Sepsis Treatment After Hospital Discharge

The authors of a recent review have issued 3 new recommendations for patient care following discharge after sepsis-related hospitalization.

Approximately 19 million individuals per year develop sepsis, and approximately 14 million survive with varying prognoses. Although survival from sepsis and the number of patients who survive sepsis treatment have increased in recent years, current guidelines do not provide recommendations for care or recovery following hospitalization.
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Following a review, Hallie C. Prescott, MD, MSc, of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; and Derek C. Angus, MD, MPH, of the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, have released 3 recommendations for patient care in the months after hospital discharge for sepsis.

• Identify any new physical, mental, and cognitive issues, and refer for appropriate treatment.

• Review and adjust long-term medications

• Evaluate patients for treatable conditions that often lead to hospitalization, including infection, heart failure, renal failure, and aspiration.

The researchers also noted that it may be appropriate to focus on palliation of symptoms for patients with poor or declining health prior to sepsis who subsequently experience further deterioration after sepsis.

To read the full review, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, click here.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Prescott HC, Angus DC. Enhancing recovery from sepsis: a review. JAMA. 2018;319(1):62-75. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.17687.