Recent Sepsis News
January 4, 2012
Nursing Class Donates to SA in Memory of Instructor's Mother
December 4, 2011
Brazilian Soccer Legend, Socrates, Dies of Septic Shock
November 21, 2011
Sepsis Alliance Given Award of Distinction for Best Site Design
September 12, 2011
WSJ: Faster Care for Blood Infection
September 1, 2011
Sepsis Awareness Shows Solid Increase Over Last Year but Still Low in U.S., Sepsis Awareness Month Working for Change
August 22, 2011
Special Fundraiser Held for Tim Wykle
August 16, 2011
A Second Faces of Sepsis Billboard to Raise Sepsis Awareness
In mid-July, another Faces of Sepsis billboard was erected to help raise awareness of sepsis. This time, the Faces of Sepsis face is that of Jen Ludwin, a sepsis survivor. Found on “westbound West Broad, just west of 270 on the west side of Columbus,” in Columbus, OH, Jen’s face is a reminder to all those who see the billboard that sepsis can truly strike anyone.
This billboard and the first one, of JonyRose Felip, were made possible by local fundraising efforts and is another way that people can help raise awareness of the number three killer in the United States.
08/15/11
One mistake after the next: how the health system failed Jacob
08/11/11
Woman’s death sparks call for changes to care
08/02/11
Hospitals aim to reduce deadly infections
The potentially deadly medical condition of sepsis, started by an infection that overwhelms the body’s defences, is difficult to spot and progresses rapidly.
Sepsis Alliance July 2011 Newsletter!
In this edition of the SA newsletter, you can read about Spike Out Sepsis, the Rachael Ray show , and our growing Faces of Sepsis.
07/7/11
Doctors Believe Tooth Problem Led to Septic Shock for Starke Man
A medical mystery turns a Starke man's world upside down. Once active, 38-year-old Alex Davies, is now confined to a wheel chair, missing three limbs.
One day in late March, the grocery store manager started to feel sick. "Figuring it was just the flu, I let it go," Davies said. He went home and collapsed.
07/5/11
Overcoming life-threatening infection
Two years ago Steve and Chrissy Bush led the normal life with full-time jobs, a daughter and another on the way.
“Our lives were what anyone would consider normal,” Chrissy Bush said.
Then Jan. 25, 2010, everything changed.
New Castle County Paramedics add tool to help identify deadly condition
The New Castle County Paramedics have added a new device to assist in the early recognition and treatment of “sepsis.” The Emergency Medical Services Division issued lactate meters and thermometers to all county paramedic units to permit the testing of a patient’s blood lactate level and obtain a patient’s body temperature in the field.
06/30/11
Hospital testing new way to spot killer condition
A process that may reduce the 37,000 deaths a year from sepsis is being tested at West Suffolk Hospital.
The hospital, with Luton and Dunstable Hospital, is being used trial a way of checking for the condition while patients are still in the ambulance. The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) is working with Dr Ron Daniels, chairman of the UK Sepsis Group.
06/27/11
Rowlett hospital sued by woman who became ill while waiting to have dead fetus removed
A Rowlett woman says that she contracted a potentially deadly blood infection while waiting overnight at a hospital for doctors to remove a fetus that had died.
Because of what she calls negligent care, Mashell Darden says she receives dialysis three days a week, has had two strokes, brain surgery, blood clots, liver damage, a partial hysterectomy and heart surgery. The mother of four is on a waiting list for a kidney transplant.
Blood-poisoning cases double over last decade
Hospitalizations for sepsis, or blood poisoning, more than doubled in the last decade, a new report shows.
06/25/11
Tough love led Kyrie Irving to the NBA
Kyrie Irving hugged his father Drederick, who raised him when his mother died, when he was announced as the number one pick in this year’s NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Elizabeth Irving died suddenly when Kyrie was four years old, leaving Drederick Irving to raise Kyrie and his older sister, Asia. The New York Daily News reported that Elizabeth died of Sepsis Syndrome and a multisystem organ failure at the age of 29.
06/23/11
Mountain guitarist Leslie West has leg amputated
Mountain guitarist Leslie West's lower right leg has been amputated due to complications from diabetes.
The musician was rushed to a Biloxi, Mississippi hospital over the weekend after his leg began to swell and his foot went into septic shock.
06/04/11
Junior Miller out with blood poisoning
Junior Miller, who has won more feature-division races at Bowman Gray Stadium than any other driver, will sit out tonight's Modified race, but he isn't complaining.
Miller said he's glad to be able to say he's doing better after spending Thursday in the hospital for treatment of blood poisoning, the result of being stuck by a fish.
Staff 'missed chances' to save patient
The family of a grandfather who died in "excruciating pain" are considering taking legal action against the Royal Berkshire Hospital after an inquest ruled that staff missed several opportunities to ease his suffering and might have prevented his death.
Actor Jeff Conaway Another Victim of Sepsis
Actor Jeff Conaway is now one of the many Americans who have died of sepsis. Originally hospitalized on May 11 for what was thought to be a drug overdose, the 60-year-old Conaway, best known for his roles in Grease and Taxi, developed pneumonia and sepsis. He died on May 27, 2011.
05/27/11
Woman Sues 2 Central Ohio Hospitals Over Husband's Death
Kimberly Ward lost her husband of 11 years in 2009 and on Thursday said that there is someone to blame for his death...Christopher Ward, 33, was brought to Fayette County Memorial Hospital on Nov. 2, 2009 with flu-like symptoms.
Report: Jeff Conaway brain dead, to be taken off life support by grieving family
"Grease" and "Taxi" star Jeff Conaway is set to be taken off of life support, reports RadarOnline. The actor, who has long struggled with drug addiction, was found unconscious on May 11 as a result of pneumonia exacerbated by substance abuse. He was put into an induced coma, struggling with sepsis, and has been on a ventilator and a feeding tube since.
05/24/11
Study Finds Insurance Type is Linked to Sepsis Risk and Survival
Through an examination of nationwide hospital admissions, researchers have found, regardless of age, adults who are insured by Medicare, Medicaid or both are at a much higher risk of being hospitalized with sepsis, a toxic systemic reaction to an infection, compared to those who have private health insurance. Additionally, researchers discovered that patients without insurance are also at higher risk of dying of sepsis.
05/23/11
Jeff Conaway's Condition 'Increasingly Grim'
Actor Jeff Conaway's prospect for recovering from pneumonia and sepsis grew "increasingly grim" as a blood infection reemerged Sunday, according to a source familiar with Conaway's medical condition.
05/22/11
'Taxi' star Conaway has sepsis, pneumonia
Actor Jeff Conaway remained in a Los Angeles hospital Sunday with what a visitor said was a dangerous case of pneumonia and sepsis.
Botched breast op left patient 'scarred for life'
A young woman admitted to hospital with a life-threatening infection two weeks after breast-augmentation surgery at a private clinic has been "horribly scarred" for life, a consultant said yesterday.
Daughter demands apology after OAP mum died after routine op
Elizabeth Dodd died from sepsis after undergoing an operation to remove gallstones at Leighton Hospital, Crewe, on February 9, 2007.
05/14/11
Pneumonia patients at risk for in-hospital cardiac arrest
Hospital patients with pneumonia may be at risk of experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, often with few or no warning signs, according to research from the University of Chicago Medical Center under the auspices of the American Heart Association's Get with the Guidelines project ... "Future studies should investigate the incidence and causes of sudden, early cardiovascular collapse in patients with pneumonia and other forms of sepsis, and address ways to measure and mitigate this risk," he continued. "In the meantime, physicians need to be alert to the possibility of abrupt transitions in these patients."
05/12/11
Blues singer Etta James in hospital with infection
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Blues singer Etta James is in a Southern California hospital with a potentially deadly infection.
05/11/11
Daily News cartoonist Bill Gallo dies
NEW YORK -- Bill Gallo, a cartoonist and columnist for the New York Daily News, whose playful characters included that of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner as General Von Steingrabber, has died. He was 88.
Gallo, who worked for the paper for seven decades, died Tuesday from complications of pneumonia at White Plains Hospital, the Daily News reported Tuesday.
05/08/11
Mom’s run makes tiniest difference
One of the hardest things to do when you have just had a child is to leave the hospital without your baby.
Antibiotic Resistance: One Mother's Fight
My beautiful, curly reddish-haired cherub of a boy, Simon, is dead. As short and cold as that sentence feels, that is how it happened. Hearty and healthy at one-and-a-half years of age, one spring morning seven years ago, Simon woke not feeling well.
05/04/11
We planned Cerri’s 21st party.. but it became her funeral
04/30/11
Millville woman progressing after hand transplant operation
Sometimes the most amazing things involve actions people generally take for granted. For Millville resident Jessica Arrigo, that means little things such as using a curling iron, starting her car with one hand or holding a cup of coffee.
04/22/11
Girl's illness shows H1N1 still a danger
On a Friday afternoon, 10-year-old Maya Cargile of Huntington Beach went to the doctor with a persistent high fever. It looked like a bad cold or the flu, and she was advised to drink more liquids. An antibiotic was prescribed, just in case it wasn't a virus.
By Saturday night, she was in the intensive care unit of a hospital, unconscious and on a respirator, suffering from septic shock brought on by the H1N1 flu virus, the nasty bug that spread in a worldwide pandemic during the 2009-10 flu season.
04/21/11
Sepsis: Bay Area hospitals sharply cut death rates
Boy who suffered septic shock is home
James Deere, 4, is home in Clifton Park and getting ready to go to school. James suffered an septic infection last year that caused brain damage and required the amputation of a leg and arm. He recently returned from rehabilitation in the Boston area and is now receiving therapy at home.
04/19/11
Life saving kit welcomed at RBH
Staff at the emergency department at Royal Berkshire Hospital have unveiled a new life-saving piece of equipment.
The new machine, which will be used to help diagnose and treat patients who visit the emergency department believing they may be suffering from the neutropenic sepsis, was unveiled to staff during the week before last.
Nic savors life despite setbacks
Since leaving Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in October after an epic medical journey that spanned hundreds of days, Nic Volker, now 6, has been making steady progress.
04/17/11
Young cancer patient in Scottsdale asks for well wishes
A 10-year-old girl in the Valley faces a long road to recovery after she was diagnosed with brain cancer in September, and her family is asking for your well wishes.
Kallie was progressing well until a major setback in January, when she suffered septic shock from an infection and ultimately had her right leg amputated.
04/2/11
Stepping up in Broomfield to spread word about deadly disease
Those who knew Alexander Welch adored him and his passion for helping others.
A year after his unexpected death, they are honoring him and his enthusiasm for bettering the world by raising awareness of the disease that cut short his life at age 20.
04/1/11
Volunteers help make life easier for 19-year-old amputee
Whitney Mitchell, a 19-year-old Berkner High School graduate whose arms and legs were amputated, will have a much easier time getting around her new home thanks to some of her kind and caring neighbors.
Mitchell finally came home last week after spending months in the hospital and rehab. The amputations became necessary when Whitney suffered septic shock from an infection, stopping the flow of blood into her arms and legs.
03/31/11
Lily Allen: I was on my death bed after my baby died but I didn't care
Lily Allen was so traumatised about losing her baby son in November, she didn't care that her own life was in danger.
The former singer, who will marry construction boss Sam Cooper , 32, in June, contracted blood poisoning after the stillbirth of their son 6 months into her pregnancy.
03/30/11
Jonathan Rowe, 1946-2011- In memory of a longtime YES! Magazine contributor.
It is always a shock when a dear friend who is vibrant and healthy dies suddenly. Jonathan Rowe went to the gym last Saturday morning, as he did daily. When he came home he laid down with a headache and fever. By the next morning, he was gone. The diagnosis was streptococcal sepsis, a rare bacterial infection that is often fatal.
Tragic Coventry teacher's death from meningitis inspires charity ball
03/26/11
Boy of six who cheated death as baby, takes first steps on his new legs
03/25/11
Teen inspires with hope after quadruple amputation
The unimaginable happened to Whitney Mitchell. An infection led to the amputation of all her limbs. But, she said she doesn't want pity. Instead, she wants your full attention.
Mitchell had just graduated from Berkner High School in Richardson. Her dream was to become a dancer, but everything changed in November when she became very sick. Her doctors thought it was a virus, and she went into septic shock.
03/24/11
Leeds miracle recovery DJ plays on
A DJ is rebuilding his life after losing both feet and seven fingers to blood poisoning.
Dean Smahon was taken seriously ill last October and within 24 hours was in an induced coma.
03/17/11
Life spans up, death rates down
The Grim Reaper seems to be taking more holidays. Americans are living longer than ever, on average, and the U.S. mortality rate fell for the 10th year in a row, according to new federal data.
03/10/11
Learn the lessons from mum’s death
Jessie Taylor (65), of Turriff Place, a former classroom assistant at Dysart and Denend Primary Schools died from multiple organ failure caused by streptococcal sepsis and right lung pneumonia at Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline, on September 20, 2009 — the day after she had been admitted to Victoria Hospital complaining of flu-like symptoms.
02/27/11
Osseo rallies to grieving family
OSSEO — No one expected Tracy Nelson, a vibrant, 38-year-old mother of five, to die from surgical complications related to a kidney stone removal.
02/23/11
Teacher and tour guide Lloyd Sensat dies at age 66
Lloyd Sensat, who imbued his work as a teacher and tour guide with a combination of encyclopedic knowledge, flair and wit, died Friday of blood poisoning at Ochsner Medical Center. He was 66.
02/20/11
Going Deep: Amputee Sean Brame defies the odds everday as a member of Red Land High School's swim team
Fourteen-year-old Sean Brame enjoys swimming.
Actually, Brame loves swimming.
“I love the water,” said the Red Land High School freshman after a late-season meet at West Shore Natatorium.
02/16/11
Stamping Out Sepsis: A Global Goal
In late 2010, a global group called out sepsis for what it is: a medical emergency beyond national boarders. The Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) — which represents about 250,000 intensive and critical care physicians around the world — is urging healthcare providers, patients and policymakers in every nation to treat sepsis as a medical priority.
02/13/11
Executive Editor Rolf Koecher passes away
Clipper Editor Rolf Koecher died suddenly of complications from septic shock, Thursday morning at a Salt Lake City hospital.
02/12/11
Roughneck roots from hospital - Calgary NLL squad hits road while teammate fights infection
When doctors were putting an IV into Devan Wray’s jugular earlier this week, the only words the Calgary Roughnecks defender could muster were “Can I play on Saturday?
‘It just doesn’t happen’: Teen dies of illness after root canal
A Blue Island teenager who died last week of a sepsis infection after root canal surgery was a victim of circumstances so rare that “it just doesn’t happen,” a dental expert said.
02/11/11
Teen dies of infection after root canal
02/07/11
Former Expos helped shape history of club
It was a sad week for the Montreal Expos family, with the death of former left-handed pitchers Woodie Fryman and Ron Piche.
Fryman, 70, died at his home in Ewing, Kentucky, on Friday after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's, while Piche, 75, died at his Montreal home on Thursday after battling cancer and blood poisoning.
02/03/11
Researcher in ETSU Department of surgery receives prestigious AHA grant
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- A researcher at East Tennessee State University’s James H. Quillen College of Medicine who is studying a molecular protein key to the ravaging effects of sepsis syndrome and septic shock has received a prestigious grant award from the American Heart Association (AHA) that is reserved for promising young scientists.
02/02/11
The 'death switch' in sepsis also promotes survival
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Researchers from Rhode Island Hospital have identified a protein that plays a dual role in the liver during sepsis. The protein, known as RIP1, acts both as a "death switch" and as a pro-survival mechanism. The ability to identify the triggers for these functions may play a key role in treating sepsis in the future. The study is published online in advance of print in the journal Shock.
02/01/11
Quadruple Amputee Finds New Meaning for Valentine's Day
New Orleans elementary school principal and quadruple amputee Merlyna Adams is celebrating Valentine's Day this year wearing a sparkling engagement ring on her new prosthetic hand.
01/29/11
Popular dancer was killed by a flesh eating bug
A flesh-eating bacterial infection that killed a popular Luton salsa teacher progressed so quickly that a senior hospital consultant found it “difficult to get his head around”, an inquest has heard.
Maria de Miguel Garcia, 45, died on August 15 last year from septic shock caused by necrotising fasciitis following routine keyhole knee surgery two days earlier.
Her family say that had the infection been diagnosed earlier Maria might have lived, and say lessons need to be learned from her treatment.
Meningitis may have killed Kaplan man
Friends and family are mourning the loss of 20-year-old Brigg Gary from Kaplan who passed away Friday morning of possible meningitis...
...Brigg had been battling the flu the last two weeks and looked to have beaten it until Thursday morning.
Brigg woke up Thursday morning throwing up, running fever and complaining of being cold.
His mother said he was complaining that his legs and knees were burning like fire and when he tried to stand up, he fell. His blood pressure was a low 50/30. His girlfriend then rushed him to the hospital in Kaplan.
01/28/11
UMB professor searching for partner on sepsis vaccine
A professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore is scouting for a life sciences company to invest in a vaccine he has developed that could help treat hundreds of thousands of Americans with severe bacterial infections.
01/27/11
Lura Lynn Ryan Out of Hospital
Illinois' former first lady, Lura Lynn Ryan, has been released from the hospital and has gone home.
Ryan, the wife of imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan, was hospitalized and placed in intensive care roughly three weeks ago after developing sepsis, a massive inflammation of the blood system that sometimes occurs after chemotherapy or radiation in treating cancer.
01/24/11
Girl, 3, dies from blood poisoning on Cuba family holiday
A girl aged three died during a family holiday – just hours after falling ill.
Lavae DaSilva was playing happily with family and friends on the island of Cayo Coco in Cuba when she complained that she felt hot and had stomach pains.
01/14/11
Broadcast singer Trish Keenan dies from pneumonia complications
Broadcast, the British band that specializes in lovely and textured electronic pop, has lost their singer, Trish Keenan, who died Friday due to complications from pneumonia at age 42. Warp Records, the band's label, announced that Keenan, a native of Birmingham, England, died in a hospital after battling the illness for two weeks. Other news outlets have reported that Keenan was suffering from a strain of the H1N1 flu.
01/13/11
'Bionic' mother emerges after illness claims limbs
DENVER, Colo. — Beth Rayas plugs her arms in at night.
After a medical nightmare left her a quad amputee, Rayas' two advanced prosthetic arms — and her refusal to quit — allow her to do things that past generations of amputees could never do.
The 46-year-old mother of three from Parker saw her life changed forever when she was hospitalized in May. A twisted ovary became infected, and Beth went into septic shock. Her husband, Ed, said doctors told him she might not survive.
01/09/11
How did five doctors fail to spot dad's fatal illness?
A young father died after FIVE doctors failed to spot he had blood poisoning, claiming he was suffering with "belly ache".
01/08/11
Olympic discus gold medal winner loses leg to infection
German discus Olympic champion Ilke Wyludda has had most of a leg amputated after an infection failed to react to treatment.
01/07/11
Tattoo artist Kelly Maguire receives touching tributes
A much-loved tattoo artist who lost his battle for life just hours after being admitted to hospital suffering from flu-like symptoms died from an infection which led to blood poisoning, a post mortem has shown.
01/06/11
Devoted dad tells of Christmas heartache
A devoted Wollaston dad has spoken of his heartache at losing his wife and the mother of his three children on Christmas Eve - just days after she thought she’d gone down with a flu-like virus.
01/05/11
Former Gov. George Ryan's Wife Lura Lynn in Hospital, Might Have 'Hours to Live'
Chicago - Former Illinois First Lady Lura Lynn Ryan was hospitalized on Wednesday, and her attorneys said she might have just hours to live.
The family attorney said she was in septic shock, and that her family was called to her bedside.
Sam's back to full health after terrifying ordeal
A toddler who fought back from the brink of death after being put into a coma due to severe pneumonia is enjoying the new year with his parents. Parents Louisa and Keith Hall feared their son would not survive the critical illness and septic shock that ravaged his body six months ago.
01/04/11
Nursing Home Complaint Center Makes Discovering Victims Of Sepsis Septic Shock Broken Bones & Wrongful Death Its Number One Priority For US Nursing Home Patients
The Nursing Home Complaint Center is calling its efforts to identify US nursing home patients, who needlessly get sepsis, septic shock, broken bones, and or victims of wrongful death, their number one priority in 2011.
01/03/11
Critical days for Sun
The granddaughter of Sun Yat-sen who was seriously injured in a car accident in Taipei had a second major operation yesterday after suffering from sepsis.
01/02/11
Popular teacher dies of septic shock
Marlene Armstrong was the kind of teacher parents praised.
"She enjoyed calling parents with compliments and would tell them how good their kids were," said Paul Hooper, Armstrong's father. "She shocked a lot of people doing that. One lady cried and said no one had said nice things about her son before."
Sepsis Alliance 2010 End-of-Year Newsletter
The changes and growth of Sepsis Alliance has been amazing, in the true sense of the word. This newsletter gives you a glimpse of what has been happening in the organization, reviewing some of its accomplishments and outlining some goals.
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For other sepsis news from last year, such as:
- North Wales girl, 14, dies soon after headache complaints
- Searsport Woman Survives Life Threatening Disease
- David Noble, activist and academic gadfly, dies at 65
- Award for Yvette’s DVD work
- Meet the Girls Behind the Lucy and Ellie's Challenge
Please go to Sepsis in the News, 2010
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