Introduction: Bacteraemia is a first stage for patients risking conditions such as septic shock. The primary aim ofthis study is to describe factors in the early chain of care in bacteraemia, factors associated with increased chanceof survival during the subsequent 28 days after admission to hospital. Furthermore, the long-term outcome wasassessed.
Methods: This study has a quantitative design based on data fromEmergencyMedical Services (EMS) and hospitalrecords.
Results: In all, 961 patients were included in the study. Of these patients, 13.5% died during the first 28 days. TheEMS was more frequently used by non-survivors. Among patients who used the EMS, the suspicion of sepsis alreadyon scene was more frequent in survivors. Similarly, EMS personnel noted the ESS code “fever, infection”more frequently for survivors upon arriving on scene. The delay time fromcall to the EMS and admission to hospitaluntil start of antibiotics was similar in survivors and non-survivors. The five-year mortality rate was 50.8%.Five-year mortalitywas 62.6% among those who used the EMS and 29.5% among those who did not (p b 0.0001).
Conclusion: This study shows that among patientswith bacteraemiawho used the EMS, an early suspicion of sepsisor fever/infection was associated with improved early survival whereas the delay time from call to the EMSand admission to hospital until start of treatment with antibiotics was not. 50.8% of all patients were deadafter five years.