Sepsis kills more people than bowel, breast or prostate cancer combined — yet few can recognise the signs

Sepsis kills more people than bowel, breast or prostate cancer combined — yet few can recognise the signs:

From mums to tiny tots, we speak to families who dealt with the devastating diagnosis

Diagnosing sepsis from a drop of blood - MedicalPhysicsWeb:

Diagnosing sepsis from a drop of blood

Requiring just a drop of blood, American researchers have designed a microfluidic assay that can diagnose sepsis, a life-threatening condition responsible for 250,000 deaths annually in the US. By using a new microfluidic device to measure the motility of neutrophils, the most common type of white blood cells in humans, and applying a machine learning algorithm, they were able to diagnose sepsis with 97% sensitivity and 98% specificity (Nature Biomed. Eng. 2 207).

Sleeker Sepsis Plan Shortens Time to Rx

Sleeker Sepsis Plan Shortens Time to Rx | Medpage Today:

ORLANDO -- Reductions in time to treatment followed the development of more efficient treatment protocols for sepsis, but not after Computer Physician Order Entry (CPOE) systems were put in place, researchers reported here.

Will Recent Findings Change Sepsis Guidelines?

Will Recent Findings Change Sepsis Guidelines? | Medpage Today:

When researchers announced their long-awaited early goal directed therapy findings in March, a number of emergency physicians said the new results were a clear indication that guidelines for treatment septic shock should change.

In Sepsis, Fluid Choice Matters

In Sepsis, Fluid Choice Matters | Medpage Today:

ncluded in the emergency physician's skill set is their ability to resuscitate critically ill patients; an example of this is the emergency department care of the septic patient. Given the general delay in translating medical knowledge to the bedside, it's remarkable to see the vast change in the management of these patients since Dr. Rivers published his ground-breaking paper. In a relatively short period of time, we've made aggressive fluid resuscitation and early antibiotics the standard of care and now focus our attention on improving other aspects of the resuscitation.

Septic Shock Deaths Increased with Hospital Drug Shortage

Septic Shock Deaths Increased with Hospital Drug Shortage | Medpage Today:

Deaths from septic shock in U.S. hospitals increased during a 2011 shortage of norepinephrine, the front-line vasopressor drug used to treat the condition, researchers report.

Septic shock deaths during that norepinephrine shortage period increased from 35.9% to 39.6% in a retrospective analysis of a nationally representative sample of hospitals.

Vasopressin vs. Norepinephrine: Septic Shock Study

Vasopressin vs. Norepinephrine: Septic Shock Study | Medpage Today:

Norepinephrine has long been the stable pressor agent for sepsis, but new data suggest that vasopressin might offer unique benefits. In this "150 Second Analysis", MedPage Today clinical reviewer F. Perry Wilson discusses a study pitting the two drugs head-to-head, with an eye on renal failure as the primary outcome.