Grant: Operating Grant

Severe sepsis occurs when a serious infection - most commonly infection of the lungs, urinary system, or blood - leads to acute organ failure. It is a common, expensive, and frequently lethal condition. A growing body of evidence suggests that early recognition and treatment of severe sepsis can improve survival. Unfortunately, many patients with severe sepsis do not receive key therapies until physicians working in Emergency Departments have assessed them - often introducing marked delays. It is estimated that one-half of patients with sepsis are treated and transported to hospital by paramedics. This allows paramedics a unique opportunity to provide early treatment at the initial point of patient contact, thereby decreasing the time to treatment for these critically ill patients. This randomized controlled trial will evaluate whether prompt recognition followed by early antibiotics and/or intravenous fluids delivered by paramedics in the field leads to improved survival, compared to usual care, for patients who are transported to the hospital with severe sepsis. In essence, this research seeks to break down silos of care, focusing on when the patient needs a specific therapy rather than where the patient is physically located.