UPMC physician: Providers need a 'bolder' approach to win the battle against sepsis

Despite the high number of sepsis deaths in hospitals each year, current approaches to battling it aren't working — and providers need to develop more innovative ways to tackle the deadly infection, Derek Angus, MD, professor and chair of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, writes in a STAT op-ed.

"If we can strive to fight a new scourge like opioids, we should be able to do the same for a much older killer," Dr. Angus argues.

Medicare Takes Aim At Boomerang Hospitalizations Of Nursing Home Patients

Medicare Takes Aim At Boomerang Hospitalizations Of Nursing Home Patients
In recent years, the government has begun to tackle the problem. In 2013, Medicare began fining hospitals for high readmission rates in an attempt to curtail premature discharges and to encourage hospitals to refer patients to nursing homes with good track records.

Today’s ‘palliative care’ disrespects the natural law

The natural law tells us that, in the context of health care, 1) food and water are basic treatment and care, and should not be withdrawn lightly; 2) morphine must not be used aggressively to hasten death when a patient is not near the time of death; and 3) pain management must be properly titrated to avoid overdose.

Halifax Health integrates EHR, cloud decision support to combat sepsis

Halifax Health integrates EHR, cloud decision support to combat sepsis | Healthcare IT News:

Sepsis is the leading cause of death in U.S. hospitals: 62 percent of people hospitalized with sepsis are re-hospitalized within 30 days, and as many as 80 percent of sepsis deaths could be prevented with rapid diagnosis and treatment, according to the Sepsis Alliance.

An HHS Official’s 'Real-World Evidence': Infection Detection, Sepsis Measures Needed | Bloomberg Law

An HHS Official’s 'Real-World Evidence': Infection Detection, Sepsis Measures Needed | Bloomberg Law:

An HHS official says his seemingly minor gardening mishap shows why the government should learn who out there has technology to identify infections early and fight off sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to infection.

UMass Lowell center to join fight against U.S. health challenges - Lowell Sun Online

UMass Lowell center to join fight against U.S. health challenges - Lowell Sun Online:

LOWELL -- A Lowell-based business incubator for medical device startups joined a network of national institutions enlisted to combat health security threats and to solve problems facing daily medical care.

According to Tuesday's release, one healthcare problem to be addressed is the need for earlier detection of infection, and creating technology that can alert people when they have been infected with a bacteria or virus even before they begin to feel sick.

Another need is solving sepsis, the body's life-threatening response to infection or traumatic injury.

Sepsis leads to 250,000 deaths in the U.S. annually and costs approximately $24 billion annually to treat, according to Tuesday's release.

Sepsis- the signs and symptoms you need to know

Sepsis- the signs and symptoms you need to know - Cambridge News:

According to the Wold Health Organisation, sepsis is the deadliest condition in the world.The condition can kill perfectly healthy people in hours, with Alfie Coxon's case serving as a stark reminder of how serious the condition can be. Doctors across the globe are urged to take preventative measure and treat suspected cases of sepsis within an hour to prevent unnecessary deaths, reports The Liverpool Echo. Sepsis - a life-threatening complication of other infections - should be dealt with as an emergency just like a heart attack, according to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.