Factors associated with mortality in older sepsis patients: a nationwide retrospective cohort study in Germany.

Background Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality in older adults, but large unselected cohort data on factors associated with mortality remain limited. Objective To examine patient characteristics and acute illness features associated with mortality among older patients hospitalised with sepsis in...

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Publicado en:Age & Ageing Vol. 55; no. 7; pp. 1 - 12
Autores principales: Heimrich, Konstantin G, Prell, Tino, Rose, Norman, Schönenberg, Aline, Pletz, Mathias W, Ruhnke, Thomas, Fleischmann-Struzek, Carolin
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Jul2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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          Heimrich, Konstantin G
          Prell, Tino
          Rose, Norman
          Schönenberg, Aline
          Pletz, Mathias W
          Ruhnke, Thomas
          Fleischmann-Struzek, Carolin
        affil:
          Department of Geriatrics, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
          Institute of Infectious Diseases and Infectious Control, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
          Wissenschaftliches Institut der AOK, Berlin, Germany
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        Germany
        Sex distribution
        Retrospective studies
        Sociodemographic factors
        Hospital care of older people
        Critical care medicine
        AIDS
        Old age
        Mortality prevention
        Mortality risk factors
        Risk assessment
        Mathematical variables
        Acute diseases
        Research funding
        T-test (Statistics)
        Scientific observation
        Multiple regression analysis
        Multiple organ failure
        Frail elderly
        Questionnaires
        Hospital mortality
        Symptoms
        Discharge planning
        Hemodialysis
        Chi-squared test
        Descriptive statistics
        Polypharmacy
        Severity of illness index
        HIV infections
        Longitudinal method
        Metastasis
        Odds ratio
        Liver diseases
        Sepsis
        Medical records
        Acquisition of data
        Research
        Artificial respiration
        Statistics
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        Individualized medicine
        Data analysis software
        Comparative studies
        Kidneys
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          Sex distribution
          Retrospective studies
          Sociodemographic factors
          Hospital care of older people
          Critical care medicine
          AIDS
          Old age
          Germany
          Kidney Dialysis Centers
          Mortality prevention
          Mortality risk factors
          Risk assessment
          Mathematical variables
          Acute diseases
          Research funding
          T-test (Statistics)
          Scientific observation
          Multiple regression analysis
          Multiple organ failure
          Frail elderly
          Questionnaires
          Hospital mortality
          Symptoms
          Discharge planning
          Hemodialysis
          Chi-squared test
          Descriptive statistics
          Polypharmacy
          Severity of illness index
          HIV infections
          Longitudinal method
          Metastasis
          Odds ratio
          Liver diseases
          Sepsis
          Medical records
          Acquisition of data
          Research
          Artificial respiration
          Statistics
          Liver
          Survival analysis (Biometry)
          Individualized medicine
          Data analysis software
          Comparative studies
          Kidneys
      keyword:
        aged
        copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society
        copyrightYear:2026
        critical care
        dialysis procedure
        germany
        hemodialysis
        hospital mortality
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag200
        individualised medicine
        inLanguage:en
        intensive care
        mortality
        older people
        organ failure
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42407093/
        sepsis
        aged
        copyrightHolder:British Geriatrics Society
        copyrightYear:2026
        critical care
        dialysis procedure
        germany
        hemodialysis
        hospital mortality
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afag200
        individualised medicine
        inLanguage:en
        intensive care
        mortality
        older people
        organ failure
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42407093/
        sepsis
      ab: Background Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality in older adults, but large unselected cohort data on factors associated with mortality remain limited. Objective To examine patient characteristics and acute illness features associated with mortality among older patients hospitalised with sepsis in Germany. Methods We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study using statutory health insurance data (AOK) of patients aged ≥70 years and hospitalised with sepsis between 2016 and 2019. Outcomes were in-hospital and 90-day post-discharge mortality. Multivariate blockwise logistic regression models were applied to examine associations across conceptual domains. Results Of 227 110 older sepsis patients [median age, 81 years (IQR 76–85); 49.2% women], in-hospital mortality was 35.2%. Organ dysfunction, particularly hepatic and renal dysfunction, as well as receipt of organ support including mechanical ventilation and dialysis, showed strong associations with in-hospital mortality. Among 147 080 patients discharged alive, 19.5% died within 90 days. In this post-discharge phase, care dependency and metastatic cancer showed stronger associations with mortality, whereas associations with acute illness features were lower. Female sex was independently associated with lower mortality and conferred a survival advantage after discharge. Conclusion The high mortality rate of older sepsis patients is associated with both baseline patient vulnerability and acute illness severity. Care dependency, used as a proxy for functional vulnerability overlapping with frailty, showed a strong association with mortality, particularly after discharge. These findings highlight the importance of integrating preexisting patient vulnerability and acute illness characteristics to guide individualised acute and post-discharge care for older sepsis patients.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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