Donald M Yealy, John A Kellum, David T Huang, Amber E Barnato, Lisa A Weissfeld, Francis Pike, Thomas Terndrup, Henry E Wang, Peter C Hou, Frank LoVecchio, Michael R Filbin, Nathan I Shapiro, Derek C Angus
BACKGROUND: In a single-center study published more than a decade ago involving patients presenting to the emergency department with severe sepsis and septic shock, mortality was markedly lower among those who were treated according to a 6-hour protocol of early goal-directed therapy (EGDT), in which intravenous fluids, vasopressors, inotropes, and blood transfusions were adjusted to reach central hemodynamic targets, than among those receiving usual care. We conducted a trial to determine whether these findings were generalizable and whether all aspects of the protocol were necessary...
May 1, 2014: New England Journal of Medicine