Objective: To update on the main aspects of sepsis related to diagnosis, treatment criteria and protocols through the implementation of therapeutic measures based on quality scientific evidence in order to reduce mortality. Methods: The most relevant studies published originally in English, in the last 5 years, in humans only, having as reference the MEDLINE databases (National Library of Medicine). The search strategy used the following combinations of keywords: (sepsis[ti] OR pyemia[ti] OR pyemia[ti] OR pyohemia[ti] OR pyohemia[ti] OR pyaemia[ti] OR pyaemia[ti] OR septicemia[ti] OR septicemias[ti] OR "Blood Poisoning"[ti] OR "Blood Poisonings"[ti]) AND (diagnosis[ti] OR diagnoses[ti]) AND ("intensive care units" OR " intensive care unit" OR ICU OR "critical care"). The clinical applicability of sepsis protocols, new sepsis criteria and the use of biomarker drugs in the early diagnosis of sepsis were sought. Results: After reading the abstracts by two independent reviewers, 15 studies were selected to be part of the scope of this review. Conclusion: Sepsis has a high degree of mortality and its early identification is of such relevance. The use of protocols and biomarkers has the objective of compiling the management of sepsis patients because they demonstrate targeted behavior and effective results, thus reducing mortality.
