A hospital in Norway may have found a viable way to significantly reduce the incidence of death from sepsis – a complication caused by the body’s overwhelming and life-threatening response to an infection that has spread to the bloodstream leading to tissue damage, organ failure and death.

The study was part of a Norwegian research project that conducted the experiment at a hospital in Norway.  What the research team simply did was to devise a flow chart to guide the hospital staff on identifying sepsis and an observation chart for scoring severity for the ward nurses to use during triage.

The project also required both doctors and nurses to attend a 4-hour training session on recognizing sepsis. 

To assess the effectiveness of the new flowcharts, for 30 days comparisons were made between one group of patients whose stay in the hospital preceded implementation of the new steps and another group treated after implementation. 

What the results showed, which appear in the journal Critical Care, was that the implementation of the new steps from the flowcharts reduced deaths from sepsis from 12.5% to 7.1% after implementing these minor simple steps – a 40% drop. This not only showed increasing the odds of survival but also the new implementation reduced the probability of developing severe organ failure and on average, lessened the time spent in intensive care by 3.7 days.

This is good news - sepsis is difficult to diagnose as it can happen very quickly and is often confused with other conditions. When sepsis begins, it is of utmost importance to get medical attention as quick as possible as it can be deadly if not recognized.

Even though there have been amazing medical advances of vaccines to antibiotics keeping us well, sepsis continues to be the primary cause of death from infection.

All of us can take preventative steps to protect ourselves from this deadly condition which include:

·         Getting vaccinated against the flu, pneumonia, and any other infections that could lead to sepsis.

·         Always clean scrapes and wounds thoroughly with plain soap and water.

·         Practice good hygiene such as frequent hand washing.

·         Know the signs of sepsis.  Time is of the essence in getting medical help.  Don’t delay, go to the emergency room if you have any of the following symptoms indicating sepsis:

·         Shivering

·         Fever or feeling very cold

·         Clammy, sweaty skin

·         Extreme pain or discomfort

·         Confusion or disorientation

·         Shortness of breath

·         Rapid breathing

·         High heart rate