SCCM Pod-480: Optimizing Sepsis Care Hour-1 Bundle at a Time

In this Society of Critical Care Medicine Podcast, host Marilyn Bulloch interviews Dr. Daleen Penoyer about implementing the Sepsis Hour-1 Bundle. Dr. Penoyer explains the background and importance of the bundle, emphasizing the need to treat sepsis as a critical emergency akin to a stroke or heart attack. She reviews the bundle's key elements—lactate and blood cultures, antibiotics, IV fluids, and vasopressors—and discusses the operational challenges in achieving these tasks within one hour due to complex hospital environments and staffing issues. Dr. Penoyer suggests strategies for engaging staff, forming sepsis teams, and using performance improvement programs to overcome barriers and expedite treatment, particularly in smaller community hospitals. She highlights the importance of identifying "time zero" and practical steps like sepsis order sets, readily available antibiotics, and sepsis clocks to improve bundle compliance and patient outcomes.