Diagnostic Challenges in Sepsis
SUMMARY
- There remains no single tool to reliably identify sepsis.
- A variety of approaches exist as well as on the horizon in order to identify infection and sepsis.
- Identification must bridge the identification of infection with clinical assessment of the sepsis syndrome.
BACKGROUND
- Common biochemical markers and microbiological data are typically used to evaluate sepsis patients.
- While prompt identification and treatment is essential to improve outcomes, there is no “Gold Standard” available to identify these patients.
- Global collaborative efforts have provided guidelines in definitions and management approaches providing advancements.
- However, the lack of a reliable tool contributes to the high usage patterns of antibiotics.
REVIEW
SEPSIS SCREENING
- Applicability is subject to debate
- Every patient should be screened Every Day, Every Shift
- There are 2 ways to accomplish this:
COMMON LAB BIOMARKERS – value is debatable
MICROBIOLOGICAL DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS
NOVEL EMERGING APPROACHES
CONCLUSIONS
- Identification and treatment of sepsis must be based on thorough patient assessment and clinical judgement.
- Novel approaches will aid in this element of optimizing patient care
- Combining these models with patient data, comorbidities, biomarkers and gene markers seems the appropriate way forward at the present time.
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Erkan Hassan is the Co-Founder & Chief Clinical Officer of Sepsis Program Optimization where he designs & oversees the implementation of solutions to optimize sepsis programs.
To discuss your organization’s Barriers of Effective Sepsis Care, contact Erkan by phone (844) 4SEPSIS (844-473-7747), email (erkan@spo.icu), or video chat.
