Population
infection, sepsis, SIRS
INFECTION, SEPSIS
This observational cohort study was performed in the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG, Groningen, the Netherlands), a tertiary care teaching hospital. The study was approved by the institutional review board (METC 2015/164). The study included adult patients that presented at the ED between 8.00 and 23.00 with a suspected infection or sepsis as judged by the attending physician. Patients were only enrolled in case at least two of the SIRS criteria were present: body temperature > 38 °C or < 36 °C, heart rate > 90 beats per minute, respiratory rate > 20 breaths per minute or white blood cell count < 4 10In accordance with the initial protocol as described here [