Septic Shock in Adult in France: 20 years of Epidemiological Data

Despite the increase in frequency of septic shock (indicated for 100 intensive care admissions) in the last 20 years (8.2 in 1993 compared to 15.4 in 2010), a significant decrease in mortality in the intensive care unit has been observed (60.1 % in 1993 compared to 39.5 % in 2010) and less drastically, overall at the hospital as well (62 % in 1997 compared to 48.7 % in 2011). This decrease in mortality is partly related to the interest that intensive care physicians have shown towards this pathology in the last few years, and to the optimization of patient management. Nonetheless, mortality rates remain very high and can be explained by non modifiable factors such as age and patient comorbidities, rather than by the infections that can be a cause of septic shock. Long- and medium-term follow-ups of patients that have had a septic shock in the past with an evaluation of their quality of life should be evaluated in future epidemiological studies.