Infectious disease
Study links gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms to antibiotic delays in sepsis
In adults hospitalized with presumed sepsis, gastrointestinal symptoms were linked to lower odds of timely antibiotics, as were respiratory symptoms in patients without hypotension.
An observational cohort study found that adults hospitalized with community-onset presumed bacterial sepsis were less likely to receive timely antibiotics if they had gastrointestinal symptoms. Respiratory symptoms were linked to lower odds of timely treatment among patients without hypotension, according to the study published in JAMA Network Open.
Researchers analyzed 29,647 adults at 67 Michigan hospitals from November 2020 to May 2024. Timely antibiotics meant treatment within 3 hours for patients with hypotension and within 5 hours for those without it. Gastrointestinal symptoms were associated with lower odds of timely treatment in both groups.
The researchers said the study’s secondary association results should be considered exploratory.
