Overview
This guideline covers the recognition, diagnosis and early management of suspected sepsis in people aged 16 or over who are not and have not recently been pregnant. It includes recommendations on recognition and early assessment, initial treatment, escalating care, finding and controlling the source of infection, early monitoring, information and support, and training and education.
We have split the sepsis guideline, that covered all age groups, into 3 guidelines (including this one). NICE has also produced guidelines on suspected sepsis in people under 16 and suspected sepsis in pregnant or recently pregnant people.
Last reviewed: 5 December
We checked this guideline and are updating it around the use of procalcitonin (PCT) tests. For more information, see the surveillance decision.
How we prioritise updating our guidance
Decisions about updating our guidance are made by NICE’s prioritisation board. For more information on the principles and process, see NICE-wide topic prioritisation: the manual.
For information about individual topics, including any decisions affecting this guideline, see the summary table of prioritisation board decisions.
Recommendations
This guideline includes recommendations on:
- Could this be sepsis?
- Face-to-face assessment
- Evaluating risk
- Managing suspected sepsis
- Antibiotic therapy, intravenous fluid and oxygen
- Finding and controlling the source of infection
- Information and support for all people with suspected sepsis
- Training and education
See the visual summaries on evaluating and managing suspected sepsis in people aged 16 or over.
Who is it for?
- Healthcare professionals working in primary, secondary and tertiary care
- People aged 16 or over with suspected sepsis who are not and have not recently been pregnant, their families and carers
Guideline development process
Your responsibility
The recommendations in this guideline represent the view of NICE, arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. When exercising their judgement, professionals and practitioners are expected to take this guideline fully into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian.
All problems (adverse events) related to a medicine or medical device used for treatment or in a procedure should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using the Yellow Card Scheme.
Local commissioners and providers of healthcare have a responsibility to enable the guideline to be applied when individual professionals and people using services wish to use it. They should do so in the context of local and national priorities for funding and developing services, and in light of their duties to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to reduce health inequalities. Nothing in this guideline should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with complying with those duties.
Commissioners and providers have a responsibility to promote an environmentally sustainable health and care system and should assess and reduce the environmental impact of implementing NICE recommendations wherever possible.