It takes an intensivist

Abstract Background Our institution initiated the implementation of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines in 2006. We hypothesize that the addition of a surgical intensivist improved results more than the implementation of the guidelines alone. Methods We collected data on 273 patients who were admitted to the surgical intensive care unit for sepsis. The groups were divided into pre-bundle, n = 19; bundle, n = 186; and bundle-plus, n = 68, to denote the method by which the patients were treated for sepsis. Results There was no difference in age or sex between groups. There was a statistically significant decrease in length of stay (LOS) between the 3 groups, and in mortality between the bundle and bundle-plus treatment groups ( P Conclusions Implementation of evidence-based guidelines decreased LOS and decreased cost in our surgical intensive care unit. By adding the expertise of a surgical intensivist, we reduced LOS, cost, and relative risk of death even further than using the guidelines alone.