Sepsis after surgery

Sepsis is a serious medical condition in which a bacterial infection moves into the blood. When sepsis occurs following a surgery, it may be considered postoperative sepsis.

It is a serious potential complication of surgery and hospitalization. While some patients have higher risks for complications than others, some of these complications may be preventable. A lower rate may indicate that a hospital provides a higher level of patient care.

About this measure

This measure tracks the number of patients who developed sepsis in the hospital following a surgery out of every 1000 patients who had elective surgery and stayed in the hospital four days or more.

In this case, a lower number is better.