Journal Article
A twenty-year retrospective analysis on sepsis and septic shock incidence and mortality
Matteo Guarino; Benedetta Perna; Franco Guerzoni; Alessandro Rapino; Giovanna Ceccuzzi; Giacomo Maroncelli; Anna Costanzini; Martina Maritati; Carlo Contini; Michele Domenico Spampinato; Roberto De Giorgio
Advances in Traditional Medicine · 2026
Abstract
Sepsis and septic shock are major causes of global mortality. Analyzing trends in incidence, in-hospital mortality (IHM), and length of stay (LOS) is critical to improve patient outcomes. This retrospective study examined the impact of sepsis on patients admitted to St. Anna University Hospital in Ferrara, Italy, from 2003 to 2022. Inclusion criteria were patients aged ≥ 18, admitted through the Emergency Department with a confirmed diagnosis of sepsis or septic shock. We evaluated trends in incidence, IHM, LOS, sepsis etiology, and changes during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, assessing mortality correlations with underlying causes across age groups. Among 461,241 patients, 15,238 (3.3%) developed sepsis or septic shock. Sepsis incidence ( p p p p p