Baseline Characteristics And 14-day Outcomes Of Patients Admitted With Sepsis To The Intensive Care Unit: A Prospective, Single Arm Cohort Study At Women And Newborn Hospital, Uth, Lusaka, Zambia.

Baseline Characteristics And 14-day Outcomes Of Patients Admitted With Sepsis To The Intensive Care Unit: A Prospective, Single Arm Cohort Study At Women And Newborn Hospital, Uth, Lusaka, Zambia.

Brenda Mulima Mwilima
University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia

Sepsis remains a major contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, with a disproportionately high burden in low-resource settings such as Zambia. This study aimed to assess the baseline characteristics and 14-day outcomes of patients admitted with sepsis to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Women and Newborn Hospital, University Teaching Hospitals, Lusaka. Ethical approval was obtained from local ethics committee. A prospective cohort study was conducted, enrolling forty patients diagnosed with sepsis and admitted to the ICU. Demographic data, clinical presentation, laboratory parameters and outcomes were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 25 to determine associations between baseline characteristics and patient outcomes. The most common sources of sepsis included uterine infections (40%), respiratory tract infections (32.5%), and bowel infections (22.5%). Mortality rate was 70 % of the study cohort. Factors associated with higher mortality included age above 31 years ( OR 6.25, P 0.012), urine output below 60 milliliters per hour (Odds ratio 4.26, P- value 0.039), and a heart rate above 90 beats per minute (Odds ratio 7.11, P-value 0.008), respiratory rate more than 20 breaths per minute (Odds ratio 4.89, P-value 0.028, White Blood Cell Count more than 12 (Odds ratio 7.1, P- value 0.008 and Q SOFA 2 or more (Odds ratio OR 8.5, P- value 0.04).This study highlights the alarming mortality rate among sepsis patients admitted to the ICU, demonstrating the urgent need for improved sepsis recognition, timely intervention, and enhanced critical care resources.

Keywords: Keywords: Sepsis, Mortality, Intensive care, Maternal health, Zambia