European Sepsis Report

This report celebrates the efforts in European countries done by governments, associations, and patient groups to include sepsis in national health systems, as urged by the 2017 WHA 70.7 Sepsis Resolution.

Sepsis is the most severe complication of infections and a leading cause of preventable deaths and disability in Europe. Every minute more than one person dies of sepsis in Europe and three-quarters of the 2.8 million survivors affected suffer long-term sequelae. Sepsis can affect people at any age. Worldwide the relative amount of healthcare budget spent on sepsis is 2.65% (range 8.85% - 0.29%) which equals 0.33% of the gross national product (GNP)[1]. Vaccination, clean care, early recognition, and treatment as an emergency are key to preventing sepsis.

 Most deaths by COVID-19 were attributable to viral sepsis. This pandemic confirmed the crucial role of modern vaccines, fast diagnostic tools, and immunomodulatory approaches in fighting sepsis. But it also revealed the existence of numerous barriers to the timely evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of these tools by the conduct of clinical studies.

The 2017 WHA 70.7 Sepsis Resolution urges WHO member states to integrate sepsis into their national health systems and to strengthen early detection, diagnosis, and therapies. In addition, in 2022 the G7 ministers of health and leaders, are committed to fostering the implementation of this resolution and to ensuring synergies with strategies against antimicrobial resistance and infection prevention and controls (IPC) programmes.

It is encouraging to see the work done in some countries, at a different level, be it by governments, patient groups, or individuals. So far, only a minority of European countries have integrated sepsis into their national health strategies. We hope that this report inspires other countries in undertaking similar initiatives. The ESA and its members are there to support stakeholders wishing to engage.

[1] M. van den Berg, F.E. van Beuningen, J.C. ter Maaten, H.R. Bouma, „Hospital-related costs of sepsis around the world: A systematic review exploring the economic burden of sepsis“, Journal of Critical Care, Volume 71, 2022, 154096, ISSN 0883-9441, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrc.2022.154096.

Country Reports

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