Cardiac mortality after severe sepsis and septic shock : A nationwide observational cohort study

• Introduction: Cardiac dysfunction is a well-known complication of sepsis, but its long-term consequences remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate cardiac outcome after sepsis by assessing causes of death in a nationwide register-based cohort.Methods: A cohort of 9,520 severe sepsis and septic shock intensive care (ICU) patients without preceding severe cardiac failure and discharged alive from the ICU was collected from the Swedish Intensive Care Registry (SIR) from 2008 to 2013, together with a nonseptic control group (n = 4,577). Patients were matched according to age, sex and severity of illness. Information on cause of death after ICU discharge was sought in the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare’s Cause of Death Registry.Results: After ICU discharge, 3,954 (42%) of severe sepsis or septic shock patients died. In 654 (16%) of these, cardiac failure was registered as the cause of death. The follow-up time was 17,693 person-years (median 583 days/person; maximum 5.7 years) and the median (IQR) time from ICU discharge to cardiac failure-related death 81 (17 - 379) days. With increasing severity of illness (quartiles of SAPS3), the hazard rate for cardiac failure-related death increased (hazard ratio (HR) 1.58 (95% CI 1.19 - 2.09, p <0.001) in the highest quartile compared to the lowest). In a matched comparison between severe sepsis or septic shock patients and controls, survival was similar, and the hazard rate for cardiac failurerelated death did not differ between groups (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.88 – 1.10, p = 0.62).Conclusions: The risk of death with cardiac failure as the cause of death after severe sepsis or septic shock increases with severity of illness on admission. Patients with severe sepsis or septic shock are not, however, at an increased risk of death with cardiac failure as the cause of death when compared to other ICU patients with similar severity of illness.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Shock

septic; Heart failure; Intensive care; Outcome

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

ovr (ämneskategori)