A retrospective study of sepsis-associated encephalopathy: epidemiology, clinical features and adverse outcomes

BACKGROUND: Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a common complication of sepsis that may result in worse outcomes. This study was designed to determine the epidemiology, clinical features, and risk factors of SAE. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of all patients with sepsis who were admitted to the Critical Care Medicine Department of Hangzhou First People’s Hospital Affiliated with Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2015 to December 2019. RESULTS: A total of 291 sepsis patients were screened, and 127 (43.6%) were diagnosed with SAE. There were significant differences in median age, proportion of underlying diseases such as hypertension, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, gastrointestinal infections, detection rate of Enterococcus, and 28-day mortality between the SAE and non-SAE groups. Both the SOFA score and APACHE II score were independent risk factors for SAE in patients with sepsis. All 127 SAE patients were divided into survival and non-survival groups. The age, SOFA score, and APACHE II score were independently associated with 28-day mortality in SAE patients. CONCLUSION: In the present retrospective study, nearly half of patients with sepsis developed SAE, which was closely related to poor outcomes. Both the SOFA score and APACHE II score were independent risk factors for predicting the occurrence and adverse outcome of SAE.