Sepsis: a need for prehospital intervention?

Abstract

Prehospital staff have made a significant contribution in recent years to improving care for patients with acute coronary syndrome, multiple trauma and stroke. There is, however, another group of patients that is not currently being targeted, with a similar time-critical condition. This group of patients is those with severe sepsis and septic shock and they could also benefit greatly from timely prehospital care. This article will consider how prehospital staff can improve the outcome of patients with severe sepsis, and in particular how they can aid emergency departments in identifying and initiating treatment in patients with severe sepsis.