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The following publications provide some insight into current research and statistics on hospital-acquired sepsis. 

Leisman, D. Et al (2019). Sepsis presenting in hospitals versus emergency departments: demographic, resuscitation, and outcome patterns in a multicenter retrospective cohort. Journal of Hospital Medicine.

This publication concluded that hospital-acquired sepsis (HAS) accounted for adverse patient outcomes disproportionately to prevalence. HAS patients had more complex presentations, received timely antibiotics half as often as community-acquired sepsis, and had nearly twice the mortality odds. Including the following statistics:

• Hospital-acquired sepsis accounts for 10-20% of sepsis cases
• Patients with hospital-acquired sepsis had higher mortality (31% vs 19.3%), %), mechanical ventilation (51.5% vs27.4%), and ICU admission (60.6% vs 46.5%) than community-acquired sepsis.
• HAS was associated with 83% longer mortality-censored ICU stays (5 vs 9 days), and 108% longer hospital stay (8 vs 17 days).
• Patients with HAS contributed 22% of prevalence but >35% of total sepsis mortalities, ICU utilization, and hospital days.
• HAS accounted for adverse patient outcomes disproportionately to prevalence. HAS patients had more complex presentations, received timely antibiotics half as often as community-acquired sepsis, and had nearly twice the mortality odds.

   

Page D, Donnelly J, Wang H. Community-, Healthcare-, and Hospital-Acquired Severe Sepsis Hospitalizations in the University Health System Consortium. Critical Care Medicine. 2015;43(9):1945-1951.

This publication concluded that hospital-acquired severe sepsis (HAS) accounted for 11.3% of cases, with HAS being associated with both higher mortality and resource utilisation than community-acquired sepsis. 

United Kingdom Sepsis Trust. The Sepsis Manual. Birmingham: United Kingdom Sepsis Trust; 2018

The UK Sepsis Trust Sepsis Manual provides figures on the total number of sepsis suffers and deaths in the UK. It states that:

• There are at least 250,000 cases of sepsis each year in the UK.
• Across the UK, sepsis claims at least 46,000 lives every year, and it may be as high as 67,000.
• Sepsis costs the NHS between £1.5 and £2 billion each year, and our wider economy at least £11 billion and possibly as high as £15.6 billion.