Abstract

Background. Sepsis is a leading, time-dependent cause of in-hospital death, and guidelines now prioritize organized care such as code-sepsis protocols. Yet little is known about the long-term activity, organization and outcomes of permanent, hospital-scale programs. We characterized the activity of a hospital-wide multidisciplinary sepsis unit (MSU) over thirteen years and evaluated mortality trends. Methods. Retrospective cohort study using the registry of a hospital-wide MSU (2011–2023). The analysis unit was the sepsis event. Activity, referral pathways, interventions, follow-up and mortality were analyzed; temporal trends used multivariable logistic regression and standardized mortality ratios (SMR). Results. The unit attended 10,874 patients across 15,723 events and 50,925 consultations (median age 67; 59.3% men), referred mainly through the sepsis code (45.0%) and, increasingly, proactive early-warning detection (15.2%). An antibiotic change was recommended in 57.2% of events, and 89.8% of all suggested changes were implemented. Follow-up was sustained (median 3 visits; 61.8%). In-hospital mortality was 7.6%, and 11.8% in protocol-confirmed sepsis. Crude mortality did not fall, but severity rose (organ dysfunctions 1.67 to 2.72; septic shock 8 to 13%; both p < 0.001) with stable age; after adjustment the calendar-year effect disappeared (adjusted OR 1.00/year, p = 0.70) and the SMR stayed near 1.0, including pandemic years. Age, ICU admission (OR 2.65) and organ-dysfunction count (OR 1.37) independently predicted death. Conclusions. Over thirteen years, this hospital-wide MSU delivered large-scale, multi-channel, longitudinal care to an increasingly severe population while maintaining stable risk-adjusted mortality, supporting the long-term feasibility of a model integrating early detection, multidisciplinary decision-making, antimicrobial stewardship and follow-up.

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