Gram-negative sepsis may develop following urinary tract, but can automated systems provide more timely identification and sensitivities? Ian Sturgess, Mike Weinbren and Kathryn Clarke look at the evidence.
There are at least 100,000 cases of severe sepsis in the UK per year, resulting in 37,000 deaths, which exceeds the annual mortality due to lung cancer. The recognition of sepsis can be difficult as the range of symptoms at presentation can be diverse. However, once diagnosed and managed correctly (including prescribing an effective antibiotic), the outcomes can be significantly improved.
One of the challenges in the management of this condition is for each trust to produce a ‘sepsis team’, the role of which is to train, audit and ensure optimum treatment is delivered in a timely manner. It requires a multidisciplinary approach and necessitates that each department within healthcare community understands the importance of this condition and the timescales involved. The microbiology department has a significant role to play in ensuring that results from relevant specimens are available without delay, again requiring training and audit.
The production of timely results supports other initiatives such as good antimicrobial stewardship and seven-day working in healthcare.
Log in or register FREE to read the rest
This story is Premium Content and is only available to registered users. Please log in at the top of the page to view the full text.
If you don't already have an account, please register with us completely free of charge.