Sepsis Awareness Training
Our Sepsis Campaign: Making Ellie Count
Caremark Dover and Caremark Thanet and Canterbury have a campaign to raise awareness of Sepsis entitled “Making Ellie Count”. Ellie was the baby daughter of Kerry, the registered manager of Caremark Thanet and Canterbury, who tragically lost her life to Sepsis.
Xana Sidibeh, registered manager at Caremark Dover, delivers a hard hitting presentation aimed at promoting awareness of sepsis. Ellie’s story is the focus of this presentation. Xana recently delivered training to over 200 Broadstairs College Students. The presentation is not meant to make people experts in sepsis. Its purpose is to explain the signs of sepsis and to encourage people to ask the question – particularly to ask the question of medical professionals – “Could this be sepsis?”
The Sepsis Trust explain that:
“Sepsis (also known as blood poisoning) is the immune system’s overreaction to an infection or injury. Normally our immune system fights infection – but sometimes, for reasons we don’t yet understand, it attacks our body’s own organs and tissues. If not treated immediately, sepsis can result in organ failure and death. Yet with early diagnosis, it can be treated with antibiotics.”
The facts and figures on sepsis make uncomfortable reading. It is estimated that there are 52,000 deaths from sepsis each year. Now here’s a shocking fact: that death toll is greater than the number of deaths from bowel cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Yes, you read that correctly: bowel cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer: COMBINED. That’s about one death every five minutes. during the time that you are watching the latest episode of your favourite soap opera, six people will have died from sepsis.
Around 25,000 children are affected by sepsis each year. It is estimated that about 25% of sepsis survivors are left living with life changing conditions. Sepsis is also a concern in the workplace.
Sepsis is sometimes referred to as septicaemia, or blood poisoning. The Sepsis Trust list some of the fairly common conditions from which sepsis can result: “a chest infection causing pneumonia, a urine infection in the bladder, a problem in the abdomen, such as a burst ulcer or a hole in the bowel, an infected cut or bite, a wound from trauma or surgery, a leg ulcer or cellulitis. Sepsis can be caused by a huge variety of different germs, like streptococcus, e-coli, MRSA or C diff. Most cases are caused by common bacteria, which normally don’t make us ill.”
The Sepsis Alliance, an American organisation say that: “Mortality from sepsis increases by as much as 8% for every hour that treatment is delayed. As many as 80% of sepsis deaths could be prevented with rapid diagnosis and treatment.” There is, however, some good news. Prompt treatment is essential. It is recognised that with early detection and treatment the outlook is good. International guidelines suggest that treatment should be started within one hour of sepsis being suspected. Although sepsis is a medical emergency, prompt treatment with antibiotics and fluids is very effective.
The Signs of Sepsis
With adults the following are the symptoms of sepsis. In the early stages, these signs can be confused with the symptoms of flu:
Slurred speech or confusion
Extreme shivering or muscle pain
Passing no urine (in 18 hours or a day)
Severe breathlessness
I know something is badly wrong with me
Skin that’s mottled, bluish or very pale.
Note how the initial letters spell out the word sepsis.
With children, The Sepsis Trust advise that the following symptoms indicate sepsis. The child:
Is breathing very fast
Has a ‘fit’ or convulsion
Looks mottled, bluish, or pale
Has a rash that does not fade when you press it
Is very lethargic or difficult to wake
Feels abnormally cold to touch
Where a child is under five, you should also be alerted to sepsis if he or she:
Is not feeding
Is vomiting repeatedly
Has not passed urine for 12 hours
Could It Be Sepsis?
Xana’s presentation has a very clear message. Do not be afraid to as the question: Could this be sepsis? It could save a life.