National analysis of sepsis hospitalizations and factors contributing to sepsis in-hospital mortality in Canada.

Sepsis is one of the leading causes of in-hospital mortality in Canada. Patient safety is an important component of sepsis prevention and control. The Canadian Institute for Health Information recently released a report that examines a national picture of sepsis hospitalizations and mortality. This article highlights and expands some of the key findings from this report. Specifically, we look here more closely at patients admitted through the emergency departments (ED) in order to determine if earlier recognition of sepsis in the ED would lead to improved patient outcomes.