Search Tag: Sepsis
#EuSEM18: Sepsis in the emergency department - what antibiotics?
2018 18 Sep
Doctors are responsible for reducing antibiotic usage in their hospital, region and country. At the same time, emergency medicine doctors have the responsibility to treat very sick patients - with suspected sepsis and septic shock, efficiently. This was the conundrum addressed by Christian Backer Mogensen, consultant in infectious medicine and emergency... Read more
Sepsis process and outcomes improvement associated with mandatory reporting
2018 13 Sep
A state-wide mandated public reporting of compliance with protocols to treat severe sepsis and septic shock appears to improve care and reduce mortality, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. In "Mortality Changes Associated with Mandated Public... Read more
#EUSEM18: Sepsis in the over 70s presents differently
2018 13 Sep
Patients over 70 who present to the emergency department with sepsis have a higher disease severity, and therefore different risk stratification is needed, says Bas De Groot, Leiden University Medical Centre. He presented his recommendations at the European Society of Emergency Medicine annual congress, which met in Glasgow this week. Their... Read more
Improving antibiotic initiation for sepsis, pre-hospital
2018 13 Sep
Sepsis is a common and costly condition encountered by pre-hospital and emergency department (ED) clinicians. Early antibiotics improve outcomes for septic patients. Researchers from Intermountain Medical Center in Utah led a study to investigate the relationship between septic patients’ pre-hospital level of care and ED door-to-antibiotic time. ... Read more
Septic cardiomyopathy - improving diagnosis and treatment
2018 06 Sep
Septic cardiomyopathy is a key feature of sepsis-associated cardiovascular failure. However, the lack of a clear and consistent definition of septic cardiomyopathy complicates not only the diagnosis but also the investigations of the prevalence of septic cardiomyopathy, according to a review to appear in the journal CHEST. Septic cardiomyopathy,... Read more
High ICU occupancy influences patient disposition from the ED
2018 29 Aug
Patients with sepsis not requiring life support therapies have a reduced likelihood of being admitted from the emergency department (ED) to the intensive care unit (ICU) when the ICU is crowded, according to new research led by the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. The study is in press in the journal Annals of the American... Read more
Understanding the role of haematopoietic growth factors in sepsis
2018 04 Jul
Sepsis is a complex syndrome characterised by simultaneous activation of pro- and anti-inflammatory processes. During sepsis, immune cells undergo profound phenotypic modifications in their activation state, response to stimuli, localisation, and numbers. These phenomena are finely regulated by various cytokines and haematopoietic growth factors... Read more
Educational intervention leads to improved sepsis treatment
2018 03 Jul
The incidence of sepsis – a condition that is associated with high morbidity and mortality – seems to be increasing. Early appropriate antibiotic treatment is essential to improve survival. Researchers in Spain say that despite advances in sepsis treatment in recent years, educational interventions can still improve the delivery of care. Further... Read more
Understanding the mechanisms of sepsis is key to effective treatment
2018 27 Jun
Sepsis is a leading cause of intensive care unit (ICU) admission in older patients. Currently, however, the only therapies for sepsis remain supportive care, including prompt administration of antibiotics, adequate source control of the underlying infection (if known), and vigilance to prevent iatrogenicity and the other complications of being... Read more
The Accelerate Pheno™ system in clinical practice: fast and accurate turnaround for critical results
2018 01 Jun
Our clinical experiences of using the Accelerate Pheno™ system have greatly benefited patient care, providing earlier diagnostic certainty. Two complex sepsis cases are discussed, where the impact of rapid identification, with antibiotic sensitivities, of the causative organism from blood cultures is described. At Hampshire Hospitals NHS... Read more