AHRQ Stats: Postoperative Sepsis Rates In 2020, for every 1,000 elective surgical procedures, an average of 3.8 adult patients developed postoperative sepsis. Those aged 65 and older faced a greater risk—for every 1,000 elective surgical procedures, an average of 4.3 patients developed sepsis.

https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/research/findings/nhqrdr/chartbooks/patientsafety/2023qdr-patient-safety-chartbook-final.pdf#page=38