What is Sepsis?
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 antibiotics1.
Sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and death worldwide, placing a significant health and economic burden on both patients and healthcare institutions. Siemens Healthineers assays can help the healthcare provider by aiding in the diagnosis of sepsis. An early and accurate diagnosis can save precious time, expense, and most importantly, lives. Siemens Healthineers offers a choice in diagnostic tests on the Atellica Solution, ADVIA Centaur® and IMMULITE® platforms that may enable faster and more accurate diagnosis of sepsis.
Key facts:
- 25,000 hospital admissions with sepsis each year in the UK occur in children1
- 40% of all sepsis survivors suffer permanent, life-changing after effects1
- 5 people die with sepsis every hour in the UK1
“Sepsis is now known to claim more lives than cancer...If we don’t urgently take steps to slow antibiotic resistance and develop new agents, then even with improved healthcare, this death toll may begin to rise.”
Current Research
Neutrophils are among the very first responders to infection. Neutrophils undergo morphological and cytochemical changes which are detected upon haematological analysis, and these changes can trigger the reflex analysis of biomarkers used to help diagnose sepsis.
Many patients have a full blood count upon admission to hospital. Intelligent use of IT can recognise these neutrophil parameters from a full blood count and help drive an immediate further investigation using established biomarkers such as PCT, IL6 and LBP.
ADVIA 2120i haematology systems can also detect ‘nucleic acid containing units’ which may allow neutrophil NETs to be counted and monitored. Neutrophil NETs have recently been shown to have a role in sepsis.
