ABSTRACT
Sepsis places a heavy burden on hospital resources in addition to hospital costs. Sepsis management costs the highest of all diseases in the US, and accounts for more than $24 billion in hospital expenses annually. Sepsis may present with nonspecific signs and symptoms, resulting in delayed recognition and management. Delayed diagnosis and management of sepsis results in increased patient mortality. The implementation of and compliance with the sepsis bundles is associated with improved survival rates in patients with sepsis and septic shock. The culture results help identify the underlying organism responsible for the sepsis, and help guide antibiotic therapy. Antibiotic therapy should be narrowed as soon as the cultures have resulted, the sensitivities are available, or there is clinical improvement noted. Gram-positive cocci are the most common pathogen associated with sepsis, followed by gram-negative bacilli. It is important to cover all suspected pathogens, as there is an increase in mortality rates in patients who received inappropriate initial antibiotic therapy.
