Background

Sepsis has a high prevalence, mortality-rate and cost. Sepsis patients usually enter the hospital through the Emergency Department (ED). Process or structural issues related to care may affect outcome.

Methods

Multi-centered retrospective observational cohort study using administrative databases to identify adult patients (> = 18 years) with sepsis and severe sepsis admitted to Alberta Health Services Calgary zone adult multisystem intensive care units (ICU) through the ED between January 1, 2006 and September 30, 2009. We examined the association between ICU occupancy and hospital outcome. We explored other associations of hospital outcome including the effect of ED wait time, admission from ED during weekdays versus weekends and ED admission during the day versus at night.

Results

One thousand and seven hundred seventy patients were admitted to hospital via ED, 1036 (58.5 %) with sepsis and 734 (41.5 %) with severe sepsis. In patients with sepsis, ICU occupancy > 90 % was associated with an increase in hospital mortality even after adjusting for age, sex, triage level, Charlson index, time of first ED physician assessment and ICU admission. No differences in hospital mortality were found for patients who waited more than 7 h, were admitted during the day versus night or weekdays versus weekends.

Conclusions

In patients with sepsis admitted via the ED, increased ICU occupancy was associated with higher in-hospital mortality.