Increasing Sepsis Rates in the United States: Results From National Inpatient Sample, 2005 to 2014

Abstract

Hospitalizations for sepsis increased during the years 2005 to 2014. Our study paradoxically found declining rates of in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and mean hospitalization cost for sepsis. These findings could be due to biases introduced by <i>International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification</i> coding rules and increased readmission rates or alternatively due to increased awareness and surveillance and changing disposition status. Standardized epidemiologic registries should be developed to overcome these biases.