Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Sepsis definitions
Introduction
Sepsis currently has differing definitions as shown in the table below. These definitions were compiled from the three following sources:
1) Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock (2016)
2) Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) (2015/2016)
3) The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3) from 2016
| Sepsis | Severe Sepsis | Septic Shock | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surviving Sepsis
Campaign |
Life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection | Not defined | A subset of sepsis with circulatory and cellular/metabolic dysfunction associated with a higher risk of mortality |
| Center of Medicare and
Medicaid Services |
Both of the following:
1) 2 or more SIRS criteria 2) Known/suspected source of infection |
Sepsis + end organ dysfunction
(See CMS Sepsis Core Measure Algorithm) |
Severe Sepsis + Lactate level greater than/equal to 4 mmol/L OR hypotension in the first hour after completion of a 30 ml/kg bolus |
| Sepsis-3 | Acute change in greater than/equal to 2 SOFA criteria secondary to an infection | Not defined | Requirement of vasopressors to maintain MAP > 65 mmHg and serum lactate > 2 mmol/L in the absence of hypovolemia |
This table is based on the 2019 published table by the Wisconsin Chapter of American College of Emergency Physicians.