People who have been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for sepsis have a significantly higher risk of having to be readmitted to hospital compared to people treated for other conditions, according to new research.
The study demonstrates the exceptional risk sepsis poses to the body, even after successful treatment and also shows the difficulty in keeping the condition away.
What is sepsis?
Sepsis is a potentially life-threating condition in which your body overreacts to an infection and begins to damage it own tissue and organs. Sepsis is a medical emergency that requires urgent treatment.
If left untreated, sepsis can become severe and lead to septic shock. Septic shock is the final, and most extreme reaction your body will have to sepsis and usually results in extremely low blood pressure.
Common symptoms of sepsis can include very high fever or low temperature and shivering, difficulty breathing, clammy and sweaty skin, extreme body pain or discomfort, high heart rate, weak pulse, low blood pressure and low urine output.
Sepsis can be caused by many a number of different organisms including bacteria, viruses and fungi. The most common locations in the body for the primary infection include the lungs, brain, urinary tract, skin, and abdominal organs.
What did the research show?
The retrospective cohort study, published in the American Journal of Critical Care, examined health data from more than 7000 adult patients, with a mean age of 66.5 years, admitted to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston with at least one admission for sepsis, who had then been treated and discharged.
Of the 7107 individuals studied, 1674 (23.6 per cent) had to be readmitted to hospital within 30 days of leaving the first time. The most common reason given for hospital readmission was the return of sepsis symptoms (68.3 per cent) and around 30 per cent of respondents were readmitted between one and three times.
The researchers say they were interested in exploring the link between readmission rates, discharge setting, and associated diagnoses.
They study found patients were often discharged to inappropriate settings, placing them at increased risk for residual sepsis and readmission. The environment a patient was discharged to had the greatest influence of readmission rates, but gender and ethnicity were not particularly influential at all.
Assistant Professor Priscilla Hartley, co-author of the study, says she and her team were shocked at the lack of professional support the sepsis patients received, increasing the likelihood of reinfection.
“Multiple readmissions stemmed from patients considered well enough to be discharged home or to home health care, often due to another episode of sepsis or another infection,” she said.
“We must find ways to close the gap between hospitals and all discharge settings if we wish to continue to improve the odds of surviving sepsis.”
She adds that sepsis survivors need guideline-directed interventions such as removing devices and catheters as soon as possible and aggressive use of antibiotics should begin while the patient is still in hospital.
“Future research should focus on appropriate timing of hospital discharge and best practices to transition sepsis patients to the most appropriate discharge setting,” she says.
Have you ever had sepsis? Did you require hospitalisation at all? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also read: Save a life and learn what to look out for with sepsis
I had sepsis year’s ago, i was in hospital for about three day’s on a drip, never had it since, never want it back, it was awfull, i just lost all my energy, couldn’t do a thing. They were wonderfull at the Flinders hospital in Adelaide.
Tks for running a post about Sepsis. I was diagnosed when my immunity system decreased. Admitted to Qld Health hospitals my Specialist Doctors were marvellous in delivering treatment being discharged in December following 55 days care. I am clear thus far and wouldn’t wish the experience on anyone. Cheers!
I happen to be in the middle of being an octogenarian.