Sepsis among Adults Admitted to Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Care Centre.

INTRODUCTION: Sepsis is a syndrome that starts with an infection, causes organ dysfunction, and leads to death is a global health issue in critically ill patients. While its epidemiology is well-known in high-income countries, it is poorly understood in low- and middle-income countries, including Nepal. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of sepsis among adults admitted to the intensive care unit of a tertiary care centre.

METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among adults admitted to the intensive care unit after obtaining ethical approval from the Ethical Review Board. Data was collected from 11 January 2022 and 29 December 2022 from hospital records. A convenience sampling method was used. The point estimate was calculated at a 95% Confidence Interval.

RESULTS: Among 195 patients, the prevalence of sepsis was seen in 74 (37.95%) (31.14-44.76, 95% Confidence Interval). Septic patients had a median age of 44 (interquartile range: 33.75±60.25) years. A total of 40 (54.05%) were male. A total of 28 (37.84%) septic patients were identified with ≥2 diagnoses, while 9 (12.16%) had ≥2 comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of sepsis among adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit was higher as compared to other studies done in other international studies.

KEYWORDS: intensive care units; prevalence; sepsis.