Early antibiotic therapy can improve clinical outcomes, and should be given within one hour of suspected sepsis. Vasopressor therapy is indicated when fluid resuscitation fails to restore adequate mean arterial pressure and organ perfusion. Initial management includes respiratory stabilization followed by aggressive fluid resuscitation. Early goal-directed therapy completed within the first six hours of sepsis recognition significantly decreases in-hospital mortality. Fever is often the first manifestation of sepsis, with pneumonia being the most common presentation leading to sepsis. The most common sites of infection are the respiratory, genitourinary, and gastrointestinal systems, as well as the skin and soft tissue. The clinical presentation of sepsis is highly variable depending on the etiology.

Mortality rates from sepsis range between 25% to 30% for severe sepsis and 40% to 70% for septic shock. Sepsis is a complication of severe infection characterized by a systemic inflammatory response.

Septic shock septic system treatment