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PSA sepsis



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rainbow dash




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 18 2014, 2:56 am
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/se.....ness/

WASHINGTON -- Health experts gathered in Washington Wednesday to talk strategy in the battle against sepsis.

It kills more than 250,000 Americans every year, making it the third-leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer.

When 12-year-old Rory Staunton died, his parents Ciaran and Orlaith had no idea what happened. Rory had been a healthy kid until he got injured in gym class.

"He fell and scraped his arm, jumping for a ball," Orlaith said. "About 24 hours later, he started feeling sick."

His parents took him to the hospital, where he was misdiagnosed with the flu. Three days later, Rory died.

"Our son was dead before we heard the word sepsis," Ciaran said.

Sepsis is a condition triggered by an infection entering a person's bloodstream. In Rory's case, it was after he scraped his arm. The immune system has an overly aggressive response that can lead to organ failure.

On Wednesday, the Stauntons held a national symposium on sepsis. They've already helped change the law for New York hospitals, where doctors are now required to use a checklist to rule out the condition.

At the North Shore-LIJ Health System, the rate of sepsis has dropped by roughly 50 percent.

"It can move quite quickly," said Dr. Martin Doerfler, North Shore-LIJ's associate chief medical officer. "The data says that, from the point of recognition, every hour delay increases the risk of mortality, and that's really why we need to be as aggressive as we are."

For Ciaran, knowing how the regulations have helped other people doesn't make his loss make any easier.

"Burying your child, we'll never have an easy day again," he said. "One of the things that makes us very angry is that Rory could have been saved."

The Stauntons say their greatest regret is not knowing about sepsis. Now, their mission is to make sure other families do.
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Terri




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 18 2014, 8:51 am
So what are the warning signs?
Is there any way to prevent it?
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gp2.0




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 18 2014, 9:03 am
I dunno, it sounds like sepsis through a blood infection from a scrape is pretty rare, and the "leading cause of death" they're talking about is sepsis caused by pneumonia or other serious diseases - usually developing once they're already hospitalized.

I hate when articles conflate facts. Basically, don't freak out now every time your kid scrapes his elbow.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Sep 18 2014, 9:28 am
I had sepsis from my picc line insertion site ( during my preg) and it moved very fast- to my kidneys etc. Baby and I nearly died, it is very scary!
Just remember to clean out cuts & scrapes well and keep an eye on them.
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Jeanette




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 18 2014, 10:36 am
The problem with the Rory Staunton case was not that he died from a scratch (a very remote possibility of happening to your child!) but that the ER failed to pick up on certain signs that he was going into sepsis. For one thing, he was sent home before his blood work was reviewed, and if they had reviewed they would have noticed a left shift--meaning that his body was producing high numbers of immature white blood cells, a sign of infection. also, his vital signs were abnormal -- his heart rate and respiratory rate were high.

Even after he was sent home, someone should have called a few hours later to let them know of the abnormal blood test results and told them to come back. It was these missed signs that led to the tragic outcome.

If there's any lesson to be learned, it's to insist on knowing the results of any tests that any doctor orders on you or your child. Don't assume that if you don't hear anything then everything is okay. Usually you will be informed if anything is abnormal but if you don't hear anything, call and ask. Things do fall through the cracks.
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