What is Sepsis?
Sepsis is an inflammatory response to a severe infection from a virus, bacteria, or fungus, which triggers a rapid series of events, such as leaking blood vessels and impaired blood flow. It is a medical emergency and can be a potentially life-threatening condition.
There are three stages of sepsis: sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock. Septic shock occurs when adequate blood pressure cannot be restored. Septic shock may lead to multiple organ failure and death. Early detection and treatment of septic patients is key to improving the health of the patient and reducing the risk of death.
Facts about sepsis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Each year, at least 1.7 million adults in America develop sepsis
- Nearly 270,000 Americans die as a result of sepsis
- One in three patients that die in a hospital had sepsis
Even with these alarming numbers, only 28 percent of Americans could correctly identify all the symptoms. Sepsis.org recommends the acronym TIME as an easy way to remember the symptoms:
Temperature that is higher or lower than normal
Infection ̶ may have signs and symptoms
Mental decline ̶ confused, sleepy, difficult to rouse
Extremely ill ̶ severe pain, discomfort, shortness of breath
Who is at risk?
- Sepsis survivors
- Older age individuals
- Children younger than one year old
- Compromised immune system
- Diabetes
- Chronic kidney or liver disease
- Admission to intensive care unit or longer hospital stays
- Invasive devices, such as intravenous catheters or breathing tubes
- Previous use of antibiotics or corticosteroids
Treatment
Early detection and treatment of sepsis is essential to improve patient recovery. Patients should be sure to tell their health care provider as much as possible regarding their health history, especially if they were recently treated for sepsis or had a hospitalization. If you have a caregiver, be sure they are up to date on all your health conditions. Your health care provider may run tests, and if appropriate, give intravenous fluid, antibiotics, and other medications to regulate your blood pressure.
Cost
HAP began sepsis research in 2019 and found that, in the U.S., the estimated cost of inpatient sepsis admissions and skilled nursing facility care was over $62 billion. In 2022, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), there were more than 2.4 million sepsis related inpatient stays nationwide and sepsis was the #1 reason for readmission following a sepsis inpatient stay, at 24.9 percent.
In Pennsylvania:
Prevention and education for both clinicians and patient/families are essential for managing costs.
What does this mean for hospitals?
Ensuring the best possible care for patients with sepsis remains a priority across all Pennsylvania hospitals, even as challenging reimbursement systems function as barriers to receiving full reimbursement for that care.
HAP recognizes the complex interplay between clinical care, policy, and reimbursement and therefore has undertaken a more in-depth review to support hospitals in improving documentation and coding of sepsis care in hospital patients.
HAP Contacts
Contact Beth Murray, HAP readmissions project manager, for more information. Media inquiries should be directed to Kim Yakowski, manager, media relations.