ABSTRACT
strong>Background: Sepsis and Septic shock contributes to significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Early detection and initiation of early and appropriate antibiotic therapy determines the outcome in septic shock. The objective of this research was to describe clinical profile of septic shock patients and to determine various predictors of in-hospital mortality in septic shock patients which could be assessed from simple hematological parameters. Methods: This was a prospective observational study done over a period of one year in which a total of 145 adult patients with septic shock diagnosed as per American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and the Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) criteria (2016) admitted in medicine ward in a tertiary care hospital were included. Detailed history and clinical examination was done and various routine investigations such as Complete hemogram, Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio(NLR), Platelet to lymphocyte ratio(PLR), Liver function tests, Renal function tests, C-reactive protein and Blood gases including lactate levels at admission were determined and compared among survivors and non-survivors to assess in hospital mortality predictors. Results: A total of 145 patients with septic shock were studied. Most of the patients were males (55.2%). Majority were from rural areas (59.31%). Major co-morbidities included diabetes mellitus (24.8%), COPD (13.1%) and hypertension (11%). Fever was the most common presentation (34.5%). Mortality in septic shock was 30.3%. The most common source of infection leading to septic shock was scrub typhus (33.8%) followed by respiratory infections and skin infections. The highest mortality was seen in the age group of 60-69 years. Patients who were given primary care and stabilized in a primary or secondary health centre and then referred had a better survival (77.2%) as compared to those who directly visited the tertiary care centre in a sick state. Out of various mortality predictors studied, a strong positive correlation of mortality was seen among patients with thrombocytopenia i.e. platelet count (86.4%), hypoalbuminemia (78.6%), high neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, high C-reactive protein values(74%) and high mean platelet volume. Conclusion: There is high prevalence of tropical infections such as Scrub typhus in Himachal and even simple investigations like Complete haemogram, Serum albumin levels, C-reactive protein and Total serum bilirubin levels which are routinely done in health care centers correlate significantly with mortality in septic shock. These investigations can guide appropriate antibiotic therapy and appropriate timing of referral of patients to higher centers, hence can improve the outcome among septic shock patients.