Time to clearance of abdominal septic focus and mortality in patients with sepsis.

OBJECTIVE:To assess the relationship between time to focus clearance and hospital mortality in patients with sepsis and septic shock. METHODS:This was an observational, single-center study with a retrospective analysis of the time to clearance of abdominal septic focus. Patients were classified according to the time to focus clearance into an early (≤ 12 hours) or delayed (> 12 hours) group. RESULTS:A total of 135 patients were evaluated. There was no association between time to focus clearance and hospital mortality (≤ 12 hours versus > 12 hours): 52.3% versus 52.9%, with p = 0.137. CONCLUSION:There was no difference in hospital mortality among patients with sepsis or septic shock who had an infectious focus evacuated before or after 12 hours after the diagnosis of sepsis.