Journals / Anatolian Journal of Emergency Medicine / 2026 / Cilt: 9 Sayı: 3

Sepsis in the Emergency Department: An Evidence-Based Reappraisal of the “Golden Hour”

Acil Serviste Sepsis: “Altın Saat” Kavramının Kanıta Dayalı Yeniden Değerlendirmesi

Faruk Danış(BOLU ABANT İZZET BAYSAL UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE)0000-0001-8722-5402
Emre Kudu(MARMARA UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE)0000-0002-1422-5927
Pages
157–162
Publication Date
2026-09-25
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The “golden hour” is therefore best understood as a debated and evolving construct rather than a single fixed bundle.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Sepsis affects approximately 49 million people and causes about 11 million deaths worldwide each year, with first medical contact frequently occurring in the emergency department (ED).
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Key Findings & Data:We synthesize post-2014 randomized trials, individual-patient-data meta-analyses, and large observational cohorts identified through a structured search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from 1 January 2014 to 31 May 2026.
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Conclusion & Impact:The “golden hour” is therefore best understood as a debated and evolving construct rather than a single fixed bundle.
🔬Design:Review & Systematic Survey
📍Scope:2014 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Antibakteriyel ajanlar · acil servis · hastane

Abstract

Sepsis affects approximately 49 million people and causes about 11 million deaths worldwide each year, with first medical contact frequently occurring in the emergency department (ED). Over the past decade, the practical meaning of sepsis “time sensitivity” has evolved, and the traditional “golden hour” has shifted from a single bundle toward several distinct evidence streams. We synthesize post-2014 randomized trials, individual-patient-data meta-analyses, and large observational cohorts identified through a structured search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from 1 January 2014 to 31 May 2026. The search combined controlled-vocabulary and free-text terms related to sepsis, the ED setting, and the review's clinical themes, while landmark earlier trials were identified through hand-searching. Timely recognition and administration of appropriate antibiotics are consistently associated with mortality. In a 49,331-patient New York State cohort, each hour of delay in completing the 3-hour bundle was associated with a 4% relative increase in mortality, whereas the timing of the initial fluid bolus was not. The CLASSIC and CLOVERS trials showed similar mortality with restrictive and liberal fluid strategies in average patients, although initial resuscitation remains necessary in patients with hypoperfusion. Early norepinephrine in CENSER accelerated shock control, while ANDROMEDA-SHOCK supported capillary refill time as a reasonable adjunct to lactate-guided resuscitation. For ED clinicians, the evidence supports three priorities: timely recognition and appropriate antibiotic administration, individualized titration of fluids and vasopressors, and transition to structured post-sepsis follow-up. The “golden hour” is therefore best understood as a debated and evolving construct rather than a single fixed bundle.

Özet

Sepsis, dünya genelinde her yıl yaklaşık 49 milyon kişiyi etkilemekte ve yaklaşık 11 milyon ölüme neden olmaktadır. İlk tıbbi başvuru sıklıkla acil servise yapılmaktadır. Son on yılda sepsiste “zamana duyarlılık” kavramının pratik anlamı değişmiş, geleneksel “altın saat” yaklaşımı tek bir tedavi paketinden farklı kanıt alanlarına doğru evrilmiştir. Bu derlemede, 1 Ocak 2014 ile 31 Mayıs 2026 tarihleri arasında PubMed, Scopus ve Web of Science veri tabanlarında yapılandırılmış bir aramayla belirlenen randomize çalışmalar, bireysel hasta verilerine dayalı meta-analizler ve geniş gözlemsel kohortlar sentezlenmiştir. Aramada sepsis, acil servis ortamı ve derlemenin klinik temalarıyla ilişkili kontrollü sözlük terimleri ile serbest metin terimleri birlikte kullanılmış, daha eski döneme ait dönüm noktası niteliğindeki çalışmalar ise elle tarama yoluyla belirlenmiştir. Sepsisin zamanında tanınması ve uygun antibiyotiklerin uygulanması, mortaliteyle tutarlı biçimde ilişkilidir. New York Eyaleti'nde 49.331 hastayı kapsayan bir kohortta, 3 saatlik tedavi paketinin tamamlanmasındaki her bir saatlik gecikme mortalitede %4'lük göreceli artışla ilişkiliyken, başlangıç sıvı bolusunun uygulanma zamanı mortaliteyle ilişkili bulunmamıştır. CLASSIC ve CLOVERS çalışmaları, genel hasta popülasyonunda kısıtlayıcı ve liberal sıvı stratejilerinin benzer mortalite sonuçlarına sahip olduğunu göstermiştir. Bununla birlikte, hipoperfüzyonu bulunan hastalarda başlangıç resüsitasyonu gerekliliğini korumaktadır. CENSER çalışmasında erken norepinefrin uygulanması şok kontrolünü hızlandırırken, ANDROMEDA-SHOCK çalışması kapiller geri dolum süresinin laktat rehberli resüsitasyona makul bir yardımcı yöntem olarak kullanılmasını desteklemiştir. Acil servis klinisyenleri açısından kanıtlar üç önceliğe işaret etmektedir: zamanında tanıma ve uygun antibiyotik uygulanması, sıvı ve vazopressör tedavilerinin bireyselleştirilerek titre edilmesi ve yapılandırılmış sepsis sonrası izleme geçiş. Bu nedenle “altın saat”, tek ve sabit bir tedavi paketi yerine tartışmalı ve gelişmekte olan bir kavram olarak değerlendirilmelidir.

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Cite This Article

Danış, F., Kudu, E. (2026). Sepsis in the Emergency Department: An Evidence-Based Reappraisal of the “Golden Hour”. Anatolian Journal of Emergency Medicine, Cilt: 9 Sayı: 3, 157–162. https://doi.org/10.54996/anatolianjem.1972015

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