Background to the SHORTER Trial

  • Sepsis (sometimes called septicaemia or blood poisoning) is a condition that is caused by the body’s response to an infection. It happens when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection and damages the body’s own organs and tissues.

    Anyone with an infection can get sepsis. It can be hard to spot and there are lots of symptoms.

    Sepsis needs to be treated quickly in hospital because it can get worse suddenly. When treated with antibiotics, most people recover fully from sepsis.

    You can find out more information about sepsis from the UK Sepsis Trust, here.

  • Antibiotics are essential for treating sepsis, but they carry significant risks. For example, antibiotics can cause side effects in some patients and their overuse makes them less effective.

    Striking the right balance of using antibiotics appropriately, while avoiding their potential harm, is a significant challenge in the treatment of sepsis. This is because the duration of antibiotic treatment needed to clear a septic infection is uncertain.

  • The SHORTER trial will see if giving antibiotics for less time than normal might benefit and safely treat patients with possible or confirmed sepsis.

    The trial will compare the standard duration of treatment to a shorter, 5-day course of treatment.

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  • Design

    The SHORTER trial is a pragmatic, open-label, multi-centre, parallel arm, randomised controlled trial. The trial has an embedded process evaluation which is led by a team at Edinburgh Napier University.

  • Sample Size

    We hope 2,244 adults with possible or confirmed sepsis will take part in the trial.

  • Intervention

    A 5-day fixed, initial course of antibiotic treatment for possible or confirmed sepsis.

  • Primary Outcomes

    The key data of interest to the trial are all-cause mortality and total antibiotic treatment days. These will be measured at day 28 following the initiation of treatment for possible or confirmed sepsis.

  • Follow-up Period

    Participants will be involved in the trial for 3 months following the initiation of their antibiotic treatment.

  • Recruitment Period

    SHORTER is recruiting participants until 30th April 2026.