National variation in United States sepsis mortality: a descriptive study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The regional distribution of a disease may provide important insights regarding its pathophysiology, risk factors and clinical care. While sepsis is a prominent cause of death in the United States (US), few studies have examined regional variations with this malady. We identified the national variation in sepsis deaths in the US. We conducted a descriptive analysis of 1999-2005 national vital statistics data from the National Center for Health Statistics summarized at the state-level. We defined sepsis deaths as deaths attributed to an infection, classified according to the International Classification of Diseases, Version 10. We calculated national and state age-adjusted sepsis-attributed mortality rates.

Results

National age-adjusted sepsis mortality was 65.5 pe

SUBMITTER: Wang HE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2831852 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature