Developments in sepsis response save lives

According to figures from the UK Sepsis Trust, every year in the UK there are 150,000 cases of sepsis, resulting in 44,000 deaths. This is greater than the number of deaths attributed to bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined. Sepsis occurs when the body’s systemic response to a microbial infection causes damage to its own tissues and organs. It can lead to shock, multiple organ failure and death. Early recognition and prompt treatment are vital to successful patient outcomes.

The 2015 National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) found that only a third of patients with sepsis that they reviewed received good quality care. A study in 2011 showed that the reliable delivery of basic care saved between £2,000 and £5,000 per case in reduced bed days alone. On its website, the UK Sepsis Trust estimates that by improving the management of sepsis, a typical medium sized general hospital could save £1.25m annually. By reaching a position where basic standards of care are delivered to 80% of patients, the savings nationally each year would be 10,000 lives and £170m.

In his foreword to ‘Improving outcomes for patients with sepsis’, (the NHS’s cross-system action plan, Dec 2015), Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, National Medical Director, NHS England, mentioned his disappointment with the findings of NCEPOD. Specifically, that: “In many cases, diagnosis of sepsis was delayed because clinicians failed to record basic vital signs, and even when the condition was suspected, many patients still did not receive simple interventions that will save lives in many cases.”