The number of sepsis-related inpatient stays at non-federal acute care hospitals in the United States increased from 1.8 million in 2016 to 2.5 million in 2021, with a faster rate of increase following the emergence of Covid-19 in 2020, according to a report to Congress issued today by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Covid 19 pandemic led to a noticeable rise in sepsis-related hospitalizations, hospital costs, and in-hospital mortality, particularly for patients with a Covid-19 diagnosis.
The report, titled “An assessment of sepsis in the United States and its burden on hospital care” responds to language in the Joint Explanatory Statement that accompanied the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2023, which directed the agency to conduct a comprehensive set of studies that calculate the morbidity, hospital readmissions, and mortality related to sepsis. The report examines sepsis among all patients as well as among specific patient populations, including adults, pregnant women, children, and newborns. The report also examines the association of pandemic-related changes in the healthcare system with the burden of sepsis.
[…] The report found that hospital emergency departments served as the entry point for most inpatient admissions related to sepsis. Detailed analyses on hospital use related to sepsis underscore its burden on hospital systems, and include:
https://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsroom/press-releases/sepsis-report-to-congress.html