Antibiotic Duration

The intervention changes only antibiotic duration, leaving antibiotic choice to clinical teams and local guidelines. The control group receives antibiotic duration according to standard care. The intervention is a fixed 5-day index antibiotic course for suspected or confirmed sepsis. Earlier sepsis guidance recommended 7-10 days of antibiotics, while newer guidance encourages shorter courses with weak evidence. The biological rationale for shorter therapy is that sepsis-related organ dysfunction may reflect immune dysregulation rather than antibiotic failure.