Taking on Sepsis

  • Winter 2019

Sepsis ImageSepsis is one of those words that strikes dread in many hearts. But what exactly is sepsis, and what can be done about it?

Basically, sepsis is the body’s toxic, often life-threatening response to an infection.1 While generally healthy people might develop it, sepsis can more severely impact the most vulnerable among us – the very young, the elderly, and the sick. 

The federal government started a campaign called Surviving Sepsis in the fall of 2015, bringing sepsis to the forefront, educating people about the dangers of the condition.

Linda Gilbertson, Senior Clinical Quality Specialist, explains, “It’s always a consideration, and Brookings Health System is ready to provide the appropriate treatment.” 

Symptoms of sepsis

Today, doctors and nurses at Brookings Health System automatically test patients with infections for sepsis. Gab Millard, Clinical Coordinator, says they look for very specific indicators, including:

  • Altered mental status
  • High respiratory rate
  • High white blood count
  • Low blood pressure 
  • Increased heart rate
  • Elevated lactic acid
  • Organ dysfunction

These symptoms are called SIRS criteria. SIRS is Systematic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. If the patient has two or more of these indicators, health professionals need to treat the symptoms while searching for the source of the infection through additional testing.

“When we first started reporting sepsis, it was surprising how many patients fell into the sepsis bundle,” says Gilbertson. “If caught early enough sepsis can resolve before escalating to the life threatening condition of septic shock.”

Keeping treatment local

Gilbertson says it’s a big benefit that patients can be diagnosed and treated right here in Brookings.

“We have a hospitalist program to manage sepsis treatment,” says Millard. “They look at the whole patient history and any chronic conditions they’re dealing with. They look at all the details, and they usually contact the patient’s primary doctor to partner with them.”

Brookings Health System has had a tremendous success rate, and reports all sepsis cases to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The official U.S. Government Site for Medicare, medicare.gov,2 ranks us very highly compared to the national or state average when it comes to sepsis care.

Find out more about sepsis diagnosis and treatment on our website at brookingshealth.org/sepsis.

 

Measures  Brookings Health System   South Dakota Average   National Average 
Percentage of patients who received
appropriate care for severe sepsis and
septic shock Higher percentages are better
84% of 45 patients 53% 55%

1 www.sepsis.org/sepsis-bascis/what-is-sepsis/

2  https://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/details.html?msrCd=prnt2grp14&ID=430008&stCd=SD&stName=SOUTH