Sepsis Care Solutions
Get the Facts
Sepsis is the body's extreme immune response to a severe infection. This systemic inflammatory reaction can cause significant complications, including organ dysfunction and organ failure, potentially leading to long-term disability or patient death. The number of deaths caused by sepsis is constantly increasing due to the aging of the population and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Sepsis symptoms mirror other conditions, which makes it difficult to diagnose and could lead to misdiagnosis or underdiagnosis. For every hour of delayed treatment, the risk of death increases by between 4% and 9%.1 It is estimated that as many as 80% of sepsis deaths could be prevented with rapid diagnosis and appropriate treatment.1 In fact, giving patients suspected of having sepsis antibiotics antimicrobials within the first hour reduces mortality by 33%.3
Diagnostics and Sepsis Care
There is no singular solution for the diagnosis of sepsis because underlying infections can be caused by different pathogens. Early diagnostic intelligence helps shorten the time to treatment and allows hospitals to optimize patient care with the right antimicrobial therapy at the right time. This is particularly important because infections are increasingly resistant to treatment. Additionally, ongoing surveillance capabilities support the timely discontinuation of treatment, which help minimize the risks and impact of antimicrobial overuse.
Diagnostics can inform sepsis care at every stage of the patient's journey—from initial presentation and risk assessment, to pathogen detection, identification, susceptibility testing, monitoring patient progress, and safe antibiotic discontinuation.
Integrating Sepsis Care and Antimicrobial Stewardship
Every hour counts with sepsis patients, so there is a strong drive to initiate antimicrobial treatment as quickly as possible. But, because sepsis is a result of an underlying infection which may or may not be resistant to treatment, we must address antimicrobial stewardship as part of sepsis care management. Additionally, Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections, which often result from antibiotic exposure, call for more effective efforts to reduce the unnecessary and prolonged use of antibiotics.
Fast and actionable diagnostics remain a key component to antimicrobial stewardship efforts, from the onset of suspected sepsis to pathogen identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, patient monitoring, and antimicrobial discontinuation. The total sepsis solution from bioMérieux may help stewardship team improve antimicrobial prescribing practices and patient outcomes.
Sepsis Resources
Sepsis Training & Education Opportunities
External Partner Resources
References
- Batch, B. Sepsis is the third leading cause of death in US hospitals. But quick action can save lives. AAMC News. 2023.
- A., et. al. Effect of immediate administration of antibiotics in patients with sepsis in tertiary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Thera. 2017;39(1):190-202. doi: 10.1016/clinthera.2016.12.003
- bioMérieux. Sepsis. bioMérieux Global Website. Available at: https://www.biomerieux.com/en/sepsis. Accessed Aug 28, 2020.
- VIDAS® B•R•A•H•M•S PCT™ Package Insert. On file. bioMérieux.
PRN 057174 Rev 0.1B