About the SepTiC research trial.
This research looks to answer three important questions about sepsis:
Is it better for patients if we use rapid microbiology tests (that take less time to work out what the infection is) to potentially allow antibiotics to be changed early?
Current tests to find the cause of infection can take several days and so doctors need to use very powerful antibiotics (called broad spectrum antibiotics) to cover many possible infections for many days, which can lead to antibiotics become less effective (called antibiotic resistance).
Is it better for patients with sepsis to have less fluid than current standard care?
Fluid (given through a drip into a vein) is used to help maintain blood flow to the body’s organs but doctors don’t know exactly how much to give. Some studies suggest standard care might give too much fluid and that it might be better, after treating any early lack of fluid, to only give more if there are very clear signs that people with sepsis need more. Medicine (called diuretics) can also be given if the patient has too much fluid.
Does it help to give the sickest patients with sepsis and low white blood cell counts (a sign of a weakened immune system) a drug that helps the immune system?
In some people who have sepsis, their immune system stops working properly. White cells are an important part of how the immune system fights infection. These white cells can be stimulated by a type of medicine and this may help recovery and prevent new infections.
Key facts
Our trial will include 3758 people with sepsis
Who are admitted to 60 adult Intensive Care Units
Throughout the United Kingdom over 3 years
The research will be finished in 2027
How will we do this research?
By answering three important research questions at the same time, we will get answers more quickly. Because these treatments would normally be given together to treat sepsis and they all work in different ways, we can study them at the same time without them affecting each other.
Patients will be randomised (allocated to the different treatment groups by a computer). We will use information from routine records to see how the patients are at 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. We will ask patients to complete questionnaires about the quality of their life at 6 months.
We will work with patient groups and healthcare organisations to make sure the results of this study are used to improve the care of people who have sepsis in the future.
Who is paying for this research?
SepTiC is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and is the United Kingdom’s major funder of clinical, public health, and social care research.
Who can take part in this research?
People who have sepsis and who are being treated in Intensive Care Units in hospital. People can only join the research if they are invited to by a doctor or research nurse in a hospital which is part of the SepTiC trial.