Overview

• On World Sepsis Day, clinicians urged the public to treat suspected sepsis as an emergency in the first hours, noting a 24‑hour delay can reduce survival roughly fourfold.
• Annual deaths remain disputed, with a health campaign citing at least 85,000 fatalities while the Sepsis Stiftung and Oxford analyses point to about 140,000 and well over 200,000 in 2021.
• A nationwide quality‑assurance procedure with mandatory documentation will start in hospitals in 2026 to strengthen prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sepsis.
• Germany’s mortality rate exceeds peers such as Australia and Scandinavian countries, and authorities highlight examples like New York’s hospital rules that reportedly saved 16,000 lives in five years.
• Proposed improvements include faster pathogen identification via next‑generation sequencing and digital or AI early‑warning systems, though costs and rollout remain hurdles; experts also recommend vaccinations to lower risk.