Patients with surgical sepsis who spent more than 24 hours at an outside facility prior to transfer had greater initial illness severity, longer intervals between admission and source control, and more nosocomial infections compared with patients who had early triage to a tertiary care center.

Average outside facility length of stay in the delayed transfer group was 43 hours.

Delayed transfer patients had higher sequential organ failure assessment on admission.

The interval between admission and source control was significantly longer in the delayed transfer group.

This prospective observational cohort study included 308 patients treated for surgical sepsis in a surgical intensive care unit at a tertiary care center.

Patients transferred after spending more than 24 hours at an outside facility were compared with patients who were directly admitted or transferred within 24 hours.

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