Common Types of Doctors and What They Do

How Northwell Health Cut Sepsis Rates In Half

New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health has cut its sepsis infection rates in half amid mounting pressures from the Biden administration for U.S. Hospitals to do more to reduce sepsis deaths — which account for about 270,000 deaths annually.

Accountability is one focus the health system has used to cut its sepsis mortality rates by 50% over the last five years, according to a Dec. 28 report from the American Medical Association.

Sustaining that progress has been possible due to leadership involvement, according to Isabel Friedman, DNP, RN, Northwell Health's principal for process improvement in its Department of Clinical Transformation. The health system has experts who dedicate time to ensure the initiative's success, prioritize accountability, set goals and best practices for quick identification and treatment of the infection.

"Accountability for sepsis care rests with our senior executive sponsors and flows systematically down to the sepsis team," Ms. Friedman told the AMA. "These teams are the boots on the ground heroes at the sites." 

Northwell's efforts have brought its sepsis mortality rate down to just 12%. For comparison, a 2022 study found that the national average sepsis mortality rate in hospitals sits around 18.4%.

According to the CDC, 73% of hospitals have a sepsis program, but only around 55% have sepsis program leaders, the AMA reported.

Other health systems, like ChristianaCare in Newark, Del., have also made strides in reducing sepsis infections and mortality rates in the last year. 

Two Central Florida Firefighters Receiving Treatment For Life-threatening Sepsis Following Flu Bout

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. - Two Seminole County Fire Department (SCFD) firefighters remained in the hospital Thursday night as they continued to fight a serious infection following a bout with the flu.

The two cases are unrelated, the department says, as the firefighters worked at different stations.

"I did not think I was going to make it at all," firefighter/paramedic Chris Askew said while speaking with FOX 35 via Zoom.

He's been at Orlando Regional Medical Center for nearly two weeks after developing sepsis due to a strep infection that got into his bloodstream.

"Once a critical care team came [and] evaluated me, they were like, 'Immediately have to get him unconscious and tubed,'" Askew said. "Two and a half days, I was tubed and unconscious."

He says he had to undergo surgery to have as much of the infection as possible removed from his chest, which left him with two chest tubes that are still inserted in his body.

"It's been a long road since I've gotten in here, and I feel like I've made some real big improvements. We actually walked down the hallway today doing some walking and did some exercise. But the pain really is the chest tubes and the pressure that I'm feeling around those areas," Askew said.

Since his admission to the hospital, his wife Danielle and their four children – one of whom made headlines back in 2020 after a stay at NICU – have received an outpouring of support from the community, with many donating Christmas presents for his children and delivering meals to his family.

"[I'm] blessed beyond belief. I'm very lucky, very emotional," Askew said. "I feel the most blessed out of anybody. There was so much support. It was wild."

While the worst may be over for Askew, a fellow firefighter isn't out of the woods yet.

Lt. Dave Williams, a public information officer with SCFD, spoke with FOX 35 on behalf of the family of battalion chief Dave Grant, who has been on a ventilator at the hospital for about a week.

"He was diagnosed with influenza, and it turned into pneumonia and that became septic," Williams said. "Unfortunately, it progressed rather rapidly, and he's currently fighting a life-threatening battle."

Dr. Michael Sparks, a board-certified family medicine physician, describes sepsis as someone's immune system cranking into overdrive.

"It's essentially this disordered response where instead of a healthy response to help clear the bacteria or clear the virus, it just goes wild," he said. "Your end organs, like your kidneys, your liver, your brain, your heart, all these organs that you need to have your normal body functions, they stop working the way that they should."

Getting medical attention as soon as possible is key.

"You can end up very quickly … I mean, within hours … going from a state of walking around at home, not feeling great to being on a ventilator in ICU with a ton of different medications," Dr. Sparks said. "The sooner you can jump on it, the quicker you can reverse these things."

It may be a while before Askew is back to his normal self, but he's thankful to have his wife, family, and coworkers by his side.

"Really good to see that the brotherhood is still there and that people do care and they will take care of you when you need it," he said.

Askew says doctors may be removing his chest tubes as early as Friday, and they may release him from the hospital as soon as Saturday. He expects he won't be able to return to work for about another month or two. He'll have to undergo physical therapy and wear a halter monitor for about a month.

As for Grant, he continues to fight for his life, according to Williams.

Sepsis Breakthrough As New Blood Test Could 'undoubtedly Save Lives' From Deadly Infection

The new sepsis test will be used to screen patients for the illness, which means doctors could then identify the sickest patients quicker and respond even faster

The tests, which are not expensive, use patient blood samples (

Image: PA)

Doctors have made a sepsis breakthrough with a new blood test that could 'undoubtedly save lives' from the deadly infection.

The non-invasive and inexpensive test uses patient blood samples to identify high levels of DNA fragments associated with the condition in just 45 minutes. It is being trialled for the first time at two UK hospitals.

If successful, it could be used to screen patients for the illness when they present with symptoms at A&E, or if their condition deteriorates on a hospital ward. Doctors could be helped to identify the sickest patients quicker and respond faster to prevent someone rapidly becoming more ill.

Sepsis, also known as blood poisoning, is difficult to identify and there is currently no test to diagnose it. But without prompt treatment, it can lead to multiple organ failure and death. Every year in the UK there are 48,000 sepsis-related deaths, according to the UK Sepsis Trust. Early results suggest the test, which is being trialled at Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals in London, can identify patients who may be at higher risk of developing sepsis and progressing to organ failure.

It works by identifying a protein found in neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs); a spider-like web of DNA released by the immune system when it goes into overdrive, which causes sepsis. Quantifying the levels of these proteins in the blood will indicate if someone has too many NETs and is therefore more likely to have or develop sepsis.

This is the first time a test to detect NETs directly has been brought to the bedside. The year-long study, launched on November 27 with funding from Volition Diagnostics UK, will test the protein levels of 500 people with sepsis or septic shock in the intensive care unit at St Thomas' hospital. No additional blood samples are required from participants. Its success will be compared with existing tests used by clinicians to evaluate sepsis.

If proven to work, the new test could also help doctors triage patients, making it easier to plan admissions and discharge from critical care. There is ongoing research into the role of NETs as a potential new treatment for sepsis. Dr Andrew Retter, critical care consultant at Guy's and St Thomas', who is leading the study, said: "Detecting sepsis early is critical to saving lives. Sepsis is the number one cause of death in hospitals and mortality increases as much as 8% for every hour that treatment is delayed. Being able to spot those patients most at risk of sepsis using a simple blood test would be a paradigm shift in the field and could save thousands of lives every year."

Dr Ron Daniels BEM, founder and joint chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust, said: "Sepsis is one of the biggest causes of avoidable harm and death within our NHS. Delays in diagnosis result not only in lives lost, and not only in increased cost of care, but also in poor outcomes for survivors, including disability.

"Any test which can help us to identify which patients are at increased risk of sepsis can ensure that we identify and treat patients with the most urgent need first: if this research demonstrates that NET proteins fulfill their promise as a risk stratification tool then lives will undoubtedly be saved."

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