Essentia Health Takes on Deadly Sepsis
Essentia Health Puts New Protocols in Place for Sepsis
Skyrocketing cases of sepsis in hospitals across the country have prompted Essentia Health to put new protocols in place and employ its electronic medical record to watch for early signs of the potentially deadly condition.
“Sepsis is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. In its early stages, it can be difficult to diagnose and can lead to a patient’s rapid deterioration,” says Dr. Jeff Lyon, Essentia Health Patient Safety Officer. “By then, our treatments become less successful, and patients may experience multiple-organ dysfunction, such as kidney and respiratory failure.”
The electronic health record will look for certain “predictive analytics” or clues to key caregivers to watch out for early signs of sepsis in patients.
Body temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate, white blood cell count, among other things are monitored and if any combine to meet certain criteria, an alarm will alert staff so they can take prompt action.
“Everyone in our organization plays a vital role in recognizing sepsis and ensuring our patients receive the best care to survive it,” says Essentia Health-Fargo Nurse Educator Peggy Ward, part of a system-wide team on sepsis. “Nurses, patient care technicians, respiratory therapists, pharmacists and providers all have a role in early identification, from the time a patient is triaged in the Emergency Department to the care they receive on the medical/surgical floors and in the critical care units.”
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection.
It occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight infection trigger an inflammatory response in the body.
“It’s important when patients have signs of sepsis not only to treat it quickly, but to treat it correctly from the outset,” Dr. Lyon says.
When treating sepsis, early diagnosis and treatment improves a patient’s chances for survival.
Early treatment includes three- and six-hour guidelines, including antibiotics, labs for monitoring and larger amounts of intravenous fluids.
Symptoms of sepsis include chills, fever or low body temperature, rapid pulse, rapid breathing, nausea and vomiting.
“As with heart attack and stroke, recognizing the early warning signs of sepsis is critical,” Dr. Lyon says. “That can be tough with patients who are already severely ill and in our intensive care units – and it’s those patients who often are at highest risk for the illness.”
The guidelines are fairly simple, requiring specific lab testing and antibiotic use.
They also call for a rapid intravenous infusion of saline solution, which helps caregivers to preserve and rejuvenate the heart and vascular system.
The new protocol decreases the chance of dying from sepsis by 20 percent to 30 percent, so it’s a significant and meaningful impact.
