The Sepsis Six is the name given to a bundle of medical therapies designed to reduce the mortality of patients with sepsis. The Sepsis Six was developed in 2006 by a group of physicians and nurses (Daniels, Nutbeam, Laver) working on Survive Sepsis – an educational programme to raise awareness and improve the treatment of patients with sepsis.
Survive Sepsis' training programme was based around the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines and became the official educational package of both the Surviving Sepsis Campaign and the UK Sepsis Trust.
The Sepsis Six consists of three diagnostic and three therapeutic steps – all to be delivered within one hour of the initial diagnosis of sepsis.
- Titrate oxygen to a saturation target of 94%
- Take blood cultures.
- Administer empiric intravenous antibiotics.
- Measure serum lactate and send full blood count.
- Start intravenous fluid resuscitation.
- Commence accurate urine output measurement.
Many centres throughout the world have since adopted the Sepsis Six, which has been associated with decreased mortality, decreased length of stay in hospital, and fewer intensive care bed days.