Early goal directed therapy in severe sepsis

Abstract

The treatment of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock continues to evolve. Recent studies have enunciated the benefit of early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) during the first 6 h after recognition of the condition. With EGDT a reduction in mortality of over 16% was shown over standard care. Thereafter the components of the EGDT were consequently implemented in the international Surviving Sepsis Campaign as well as the German sepsis guidelines. Nevertheless the medical community's enthusiasm for EGDT has remained indecisive. There remains a profound skepticism about treatment targets such as central venous pressure or mean arterial pressure as well as central venous oxygen saturation. Moreover multiple barriers such as critical shortage of nursing staff, problems in obtaining central venous pressure monitoring or lack of agreement with the EGDT resuscitation protocol may lead to non-adherence to EGDT early in the course of sepsis. In a recent multicenter trial, protocol-based resuscitation of patients in whom septic shock was diagnosed in the emergency department did not improve outcomes. The Severe Sepsis 3-Hour Resuscitation Bundle and the 6-Hour Septic Shock Bundle represent a distillation of the concepts and recommendations found in the practice guidelines published by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign. The bundles are designed to allow teams to follow the timing, sequence, and goals of the individual elements of care. Early recognition, early mobilization of resources, and multidisciplinary collaboration are imperative to enhance the prognosis of patients with sepsis.