Yang L, Lin Y, Wang J, et al. - Among sepsis patients, there were higher in-hospital mortality, comparable early mortality, and worse late mortality among culture-positive patients vs culture-negative patients. Mortality may reduce and clinical prognosis may improve with providing early appropriate antibiotic therapy.

• Of 640 patients suffering from sepsis, 592 met the inclusion criteria for sepsis, with 274 having culture-positive results.

• Mostly elderly suffering from diabetes and at risk of cancer, with a higher white blood cell count, and higher procalcitonin, comprised the culture-positive patients.

• Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II scores (15 vs 11), as well as predisposition, infection, response, and organ dysfunction (17 vs 11), were higher for the culture-positive patients vs individuals in the culture-negative group.

• Relative to culture-negative individuals, culture-positive patients had a longer duration of hospital stay (14 vs 6) and higher in-hospital mortality (14.6% vs 8.5%).

• Increased late mortality (15.7% vs 6.9%) was observed in culture-positive patients.

• A lower mortality rate was observed in the culture-positive patients in correlation with receipt of early appropriate antibiotics when compared with the culture-negative patients.