🚨 Precision is the real challenge
The latest recommendations from the Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2026 (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00134-026-08361-1) set strong ICU practices:
⚡ Immediate antibiotics in septic shock, and early treatment in suspected sepsis
🔬 Microbiological sampling before treatment, whenever possible
🎯 Early reassessment and de-escalation as standard of care
💡 At the same time, new approaches based on pathogen–host response phenotypes require earlier pathogen identification for more personalized patient care.
⛔ Yet, the reference standard, blood cultures, still faces major limitations: low sensitivity and a 24–48h turnaround time.
👉 A complex equation: act fast without overtreating, and decide early with limited diagnostic certainty.
👉 A clear disconnect between guideline expectations and diagnostic need with rapid detection and identification of pathogen.
This is exactly the challenge addressed by Dr Antoine Dewitte from CHU Bordeaux, through the evaluation of the bacteremia test for sepsis developed by OCEAN Dx, demonstrating its compliance with guideline requirements for rapid diagnostic testing.
Presented at ESCMID Global 2026 in Munich, these results bring together leading experts, cutting-edge data, and innovative diagnostic approaches that directly contribute to improving bedside clinical practice
📍 Arena 4 | April 18 | 13:30–14:30 (CEST)
🧪 Diagnostic microbiology:“Molecular diagnostic innovations across specimens”
📄 ePoster Presentation : EF025
“Clinical evaluation of the OCEAN Dx culture-free assay for early detection of bacteraemia in critically ill patients”
🏥 Study conducted at CHU de Bordeaux
🔬 Key results (real-world ICU conditions):
- 🔍 3x higher detection rate vs blood cultures
- ⚡ Identification or Negativity in ~5 hours (vs ~36h for blood cultures)
- 🧪 Sensitivity 95,2% / NPV 98.4%, enabling confident decision or rule-out
- 📉 Significant reduction in unnecessary broad-spectrum antibiotics
👉 Enabling earlier rule-out, faster decisions, and better-targeted therapy.
💡 Why it matters:
Faster, reliable diagnostics can help clinicians:
✔️ reduce uncertainty early
✔️ adapt antibiotic therapy within hours, not days
✔️ better align with antibiotic stewardship goals
🌐 Global Mentions
Global Sepsis Alliance | European Sepsis Alliance | Sepsis Alliance | Haute Autorité de Santé | CHU de Bordeaux | IHU Sepsis
