The bioMérieux Sepsis Survey Project surveyed and interviewed 187 critical care specialists at the 2012 Society of Critical Care Medicine conference. Key findings from the survey include:
• 64 percent of respondents said sepsis is increasing in U.S. ICUs and impacting a growing number of younger patients.
• 17 percent said they have seen an increase in sepsis and septicemia in young patients, which they attribute to antibiotic-resistant organisms.
• More than 30 percent reported that antibiotic resistance is to blame for the increasing rate of sepsis in U.S. hospitals.
• 98 percent reported that they need a rapid test to help diagnose sepsis in their patients.
• 19 percent said they have seen an increase in fatalities among critical care patients due to antibiotic-resistant organisms.
• 83 percent said antibiotic resistance is a major problem, as witnessed by increasing sepsis fatalities.
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