Paramedic Initiated Treatment of Sepsis Targeting Out-of-hospital Patients (PITSTOP)
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2024-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Sepsis occurs when a serious infection - most commonly infection of the lungs, urinary
system, or blood - leads to acute organ failure. It is a common, expensive, and frequently
lethal condition. A growing body of evidence suggests that early recognition and treatment of
sepsis can improve survival.
Unfortunately, many patients with sepsis do not receive key therapies until physicians
working in Emergency Departments have assessed them - often introducing marked delays. It is
estimated that one-half of patients with sepsis are treated and transported to hospital by
paramedics. This allows paramedics a unique opportunity to provide early treatment at the
initial point of patient contact, thereby decreasing the time to treatment for these
critically ill patients. This randomized controlled trial will evaluate whether prompt
recognition followed by early antibiotics and/or intravenous fluids delivered by paramedics
in the field leads to improved survival, compared to usual care, for patients who are
transported to the hospital with sepsis.
Phase:
Phase 4
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Dr. Damon Scales
Collaborators:
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Sunnybrook Research Institute