Resumen
Objective: To analyze the risk factors in patients with sepsis in intensive care units. Methods: An integrative review of literature covering the health area, whose search for article selection focused on the Latin American Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), Virtual Health Library (VHL) and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO) databases, taking into account the scientific production published in the last 10 years. Results: It was possible to verify the main risk factors such as: male predominance, advanced age, respiratory diseases and high time of hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), aggravating microorganisms of sepsis, clinical characteristics and etiological agents that are associated with aggravation of sepsis in these patients. Conclusion: The need to implement a protocol for manipulation of sepsis still in the first contact with the patient is fundamental in order to avoid aggravation and death.