The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, recently announced measures to make sepsis a priority – giving it the same importance as C. difficile and MRSA, where rates have virtually halved since 2010. Improvement projects are already underway at some Trusts – if best practice is adopted on a national scale, thousands of lives could be saved. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.
The International Sepsis Forum describes sepsis as “a life threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. Sepsis may lead to shock, multiple organ failure and death especially if not recognised early and treated promptly.”
Sepsis remains the primary cause of death from infection despite advances in modern medicine, including vaccines, antibiotics and acute care. However, there is still a lack of awareness of the condition and basic interventions that could help improve survival are not reliably performed. It is estimated that around 11,000 lives could be saved every year through better diagnosis and treatment.
Plans to tackle sepsis
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