Sepsis: Understanding the body's extreme response to infection

Sepsis, originally known as blood poisoning, is a life-threatening medical emergency. Tune in to learn about the complexities of sepsis diagnosis, the role of lactate and procalcitonin levels, and the global health challenge it poses. Hear from experts and a sepsis survivor about the advancements in identifying and managing this critical condition.

Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It occurs when a pre-existing infection triggers a chain reaction throughout a person's body. Sepsis can be difficult to diagnose because patients present different symptoms, and their observation can be subjective. According to the Global Sepsis Alliance, the disease contributes to approximately one in five deaths worldwide and in the United States alone; it stands as the leading cause of death in hospitals, leading to one in three hospital fatalities. Compounding these mortality rates is a rise in antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance due to overuse or misuse.

Today, we’re joined by experts in the field of diagnostics and critical care as well as a sepsis patient and advocate in order to more acutely understand the disease, its diagnosis, and the advancements in the field.

In this episode, host Ranga Sampath, Senior Vice President and Head of the Center for Innovation in Diagnostics at Siemens Healthineers and Member of the Board of the Sepsis Alliance, welcomes:

• Heike Spreter-Krick a sepsis survivor who is now a patient advocate working with the Global Sepsis Alliance
• Patti DeJuilio, Director of Respiratory Care and Diagnostic Services at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois
• Dr. Eric Gluck, Director of Critical Care Services at Swedish Hospital and professor of medicine at Finch University of Health Sciences at The Chicago Medical School
• Mervyn Singer, professor of intensive care medicine at University College London

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The timing of diagnosis and treatment is critical because sepsis creates oxygen deprivation in the cells.
• Risk factors like age and comorbidities can increase the likelihood of a patient developing sepsis.
• The biomarker procalcitonin can be used as an identifier for sepsis infection.
• Lactate levels, a chemical naturally produced by the body during times of stress, can be used as one indicator among others that a patient may be experiencing sepsis.
• In the UK, the National Early Warning Score helps closely monitor patients at risk for developing sepsis.
• IV antibiotics have long been the gold standard for sepsis treatment, but they are at risk of overuse and misuse.
• For many patients, surviving a sepsis infection is just the beginning of a long road to recovery.

Connect with Ranga Sampath

• LinkedIn

Connect with Heike Spreter-Krick

• Instagram

Connect with Patti DeJuilio

• LinkedIn

Connect with Mervyn Singer

• LinkedIn

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