Table 1.

Included studies and their main characteristics

First author, year	Country or region	Study type	Sample size	Diagnostic criteria	Outcome
Arabi [20], 2013	Canada, United States, and Saudi Arabia	retrospective study, multicentre	2882	septic shock	ICU mortality hospital mortality ICU LOS hospital LOS
Chalkias [23], 2013	Greece	prospective study, single-centre	30	sepsis	60-day mortality morbidity, length of ventilation in ICU.
Gaulton [22], 2015	USA	retrospective study, single-centre	1191	severe sepsis	28-day mortality 60-day mortality 1-year mortality hospital LOS
Kuperman [21], 2013	USA	retrospective study, single-centre	792	sepsis	inpatient mortality hospital LOS
Pisitsak [24], 2016	Canada	retrospective study, multicentre	257	sepsis	28-day mortality 90-day mortality
Prescott [18], 2014	USA	retrospective study, multicentre	1404	severe sepsis	hospital mortality 90-day mortality 1-year mortality ICU LOS
Sakr [25], 2008	Europe	prospective study, multicentre,	2978	sepsis	ICU mortality hospital mortality ICU LOS hospital LOS
Wacharasint [19], 2013	Canada	retrospective study, multicentre	730	septic shock	28-day mortality

BMI body mass index; ICU intensive care unit; LOS length of stay