Sepsis in the News (2010)
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.
12/31/10
North Wales girl, 14, dies soon after headache complaints
Christie Holt later developed a rash and was rushed to hospital but died of septicaemia two days before Christmas.
Now her family is warning others to be on their guard for symptoms of the deadly blood poisoning condition.
Searsport Woman Survives Life Threatening Disease
The last thing Myrtilla Laieski remembers is working in her garden on a spring day.
12/29/10
David Noble, activist and academic gadfly, dies at 65
David Noble, a well-known political activist and history professor at York University for about two decades, died suddenly in a Toronto hospital on Monday after contracting a virulent strain of pneumonia that caused septic shock and renal failure.
12/27/10
Award for Yvette’s DVD work
A hospital worker has been recognised nationally for developing an educational film to help cancer patients...It was for her work in producing a DVD to help recognise signs and symptoms of neutropenic sepsis, which is a side-effect of chemotherapy that can be fatal if left untreated.
12/17/10
Blake Edwards, 88, director of films comic and classic dies
Blake Edwards, the film director who brought old-school slapstick into the modern movie era with the “Pink Panther’’ series and who turned a tart novel about a Manhattan call girl into the elegant screen classic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,’’ died at 88 yesterday at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif.
(note from SA: Mr. Edwards died of "complications of pneumonia.")
12/9/10
Another Meningococcal Sepsis Case In Larimer County
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The Larimer County Department of Health and Environment said another case of meningococcal sepsis has been reported.
The patient, who has not been identified, is currently hospitalized at Poudre Valley Hospital.
12/6/10
Meet the Girls Behind the Lucy and Ellie's Challenge
Columbus, Ohio TV station NBC4 met with Lucy and Ellie to learn more about their birthday challenge. See the girls and hear what they have to say!
And, to learn how you can help the girls meet their goal of raising $1,000.00 by the New Year, please visit the Lucy and Ellie Challenge Page.
11/11/10
90% kids' deaths in India due to infections
11/08/10
Lily Allen 'Responding Well' To Treatment
Lily Allen is said to be 'responding well' to medical treatment after being rushed to hospital last week with septicaemia.
11/06/10
Lily Allen suffering blood poisoning condition
The 25-year-old singer -- who earlier this week lost a six-month-old baby boy -- has returned to hospital with the potentially life-threatening blood-poisoning condition, leaving her friends and family, including partner Sam Cooper, "extremely concerned".
10/31/10
Surviving the flu
Despite repeated government warnings, H1N1 didn't live up to the hype last year. But for one college student, the virus was real and nearly took her life
You can read more about Jen Ludwin in our Faces of Sesis section:
10/27/10
Sepsis a 'Hidden Public Health Disaster'
Older hospitalized patients who survive sepsis develop lasting, moderate to severe cognitive impairment and functional disability at 3.3 times the rate of patients hospitalized for other reasons, according to a report from University of Michigan researchers.
10/26/10
Sepsis Leaves Long Legacy on Brain and Body
Surviving sepsis doesn't mean troubles are over for older adults, who face substantial cognitive impairment and functional disability afterward, according to results from a longitudinal population-based study.
Patients who survive sepsis are more than 3 times as likely to have cognitive problems
Older adults who survive severe sepsis are at higher risk for long-term cognitive impairment and physical limitations than those hospitalized for other reasons, according to researchers from the University of Michigan Health System.
10/23/10
Report rates care of local hospitals
University Medical Center’s patients are more likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than the average patient nationwide, according to data released Wednesday by HealthGrades, an independent health care ratings organization.
UMC also has higher-than-average risks for sepsis, which is often caused by a hospital-acquired infection.
10/21/10
Patterns: Report Paints Portrait of Costliest Patients
Some of the sickest patients can run up hospital charges as high as $18,000 a day, with average stays of almost three weeks, according to a new government report on the cost of hospital care.
CSU student dies from illness, mother she was 'unrecognizable'
Wednesday night, the Larimer County Coroner's office determined Adame died of meningococcal sepsis, not meningococcal meningitis. Sepsis is a different manifestation of the same bacterial infection.
10/20/10
Harper Nursing Students Race the Clock in Simulation Hospital
Nursing students practice in simulated situations. In this case, the "patient" has sepsis.
Surgical Patients Who Smoke More Likely to Die or Develop Complications
Cigarette smokers are more likely to die or develop pneumonia, sepsis, myocardial infarction, stroke, and other serious postoperative complications than are nonsmokers, according to research presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).
10/14/10
Amputee Golfer Shoots Hole In One (video and text)
The sporting world often opens its doors for inspiring stories of success through intense adversity.
10/12/10
The popular Japanese actor Ryo Ikebe has died at a Tokyo hospital as a result of blood poisoning.
The 92 year-old featured in a number of movies and praised by critics for his role in the 1949 black and white film Aoi Sanmyaku (The Green Mountains).
For Janice: Legacy of a Short Life
After 4 years of medical school and 2 years of training to be a brain surgeon, Kevin Tracey had learned to control the emotions he felt for his patients. But everything changed on May 3, 1985, when he met Janice.
Victims of Sepsis Tell Their Harrowing Survival Stories
For Jackie Wang, it was just a garden-variety infection that was slowing her down. But her doctor realized that the 29-year-old Manhasset, NY woman was sick enough to go to the emergency room.
10/09/10
Northern Michigan Hospitals Kick-Off Sepsis Initiative
Approximately 115 staff members from 10 hospitals across northern Michigan, including Northern Michigan Regional Hospital, met at Boyne Mountain on Monday, October 4, to kick off a year-long sepsis initiative.
10/08/10
Dad and son cycle Kenya in memory of Rosie
A father and son will be cycling hundreds of miles to raise thousands of pounds for an African charity which was close to their teenage daughter's and sister's heart.
10/06/10
Northern Michigan hospitals tackle deadly condition
The moment a sepsis patient walks into a hospital their clock is ticking.
Sepsis is a condition that can have a quick onset and result in death.
This week, several local hospitals gathered to address the condition at the Northern Michigan Hospitals Sepsis Initiative Summit.
10/05/10
Sepsis is definitely in the news!
Awareness: Killer of 200,000 Americans, Hardly Noticed
New York Times!
causes more than 200,000 deaths in the United States each year, yet Americans know little about it: most people questioned online for a new study said they had never heard the term.
New clue to sepsis as more aggressive care urged
Yahoo News
It's one of the most intractable killers you've probably never heard of: Sepsis, an out-of-control reaction to infection that can start shutting down organs in mere hours.
New Clue To Sepsis As More Aggressive Care Urged
CBS
It's one of the most intractable killers you've probably never heard of: Sepsis, an out-of-control reaction to infection that can start shutting down organs in mere hours.
International Organizations Declare Sepsis a Global Medical Emergency
Prostate Cancer News Today
The Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) is urging healthcare providers, patients and policymakers worldwide to treat sepsis as a medical emergency.
More aggressive care for sepsis urged as scientists find new clue to what fuels it
MacLeans Magazine (Canada)
It is one of the most intractable killers you probably never have heard of: sepsis, an out-of-control reaction to infection that can start shutting down organs in mere hours.
New clue to sepsis as more aggressive care urged
San Francisco Chronicle
10/04/10
Searsport woman shares story of surviving rare blood disorder
SEARSPORT, Maine --- A local woman is in the midst of recovering from a rare disorder that nearly robbed her of all of her limbs and her life.
Forty-four-year old Myrtilla Laieski came down with a strong case of pneumonia last May, which led to an onset of sepsis.
10/01/10
International Organizations Declare Sepsis a Global Medical Emergency
The Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) is urging healthcare providers, patients and policymakers worldwide to treat sepsis as a medical emergency. "Tens of millions of people die from sepsis each year, making it the likely leading cause of death worldwide. Sepsis kills regardless of age, ethnicity, location and access to care," said Konrad Reinhart, M.D., Chairman of the GSA and director of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of the Friedrich Schiller, University of Jena, Germany. "It's imperative that we come together as a global community to address this enormous public health problem," added Mark Lambert, executive director of the GSA.
09/30/10
09/27/10
Last goodbye for longtime sheriff
Hundreds of law enforcement personnel, politicians, friends and family gathered Monday on a hill in Papillion to say their last goodbyes to Pat Thomas, the former eight-term Sarpy County sheriff.
Thomas, 70, died last Tuesday of complications related to sepsis.
09/25/10
Family's grief as 'little fighter' dies aged seven weeks
The parents of little Lexi Higgins-Fleming, who was due to be laid to rest today, have spoken of their heartache at losing their "little fighter" who succumbed to a tissue-wasting disease last week.
09/24/10
Jean M. Riddell, 100, dies; patron of the arts
Jean M. Riddell, 100, an arts patron who was founder and principal supporter of the old National Ballet in Washington, died Sept. 14 at George Washington University Hospital. She had septic shock.
09/23/10
Clinton Township Hairdresser Finds Hope Despite Medical Problems
A Clinton Township woman who has been plagued by medical problems most of her life calls herself a fighter, but recently she's had to struggle with life-changing surgery.
09/21/10
09/19/10
Churchill outrider Brasseaux dies at 42
Shawn Brasseaux, part of Churchill Downs’ acclaimed outrider team the past two years, died Saturday night at Jewish Hospital Shelbyville after some sort of septic shock apparently got into his bloodstream, said lead outrider Greg Blasi this morning.
09/03/10
From VeloNews, the Journal of Competative Cycling:
Txema González, a Spanish massage therapist on Team Sky, died Friday in Sevilla, but team officials denied he succumbed to the same virus that is affecting the British-backed team.
08/31/10
Fresh tragedy hits ex-footballer
08/30/10
Veteran emergency room doctor sorts out reasons for possibly rushing to the hospital
08/11/10
Sepsis is a major determinant of outcome in critically ill HIV/AIDS patients
Study in the most recent issue of the journal Critical Care.
08/10/10
Blood poisonings: Medical staff told 'wash your hands'
"Wash your hands" is one of the first things taught to anyone who is entering a healthcare profession. Some people still need to be reminded.
08/09/10
Little 'miracle' Bernadette Giribaldi returns to Castle Hill home
Three-year-old Bernadette survives a bout of "blood poisoning."
"We decided to tell our story because meningococcal septicaemia (blood poisoning) is a very difficult disease to diagnose,’’ Mr Giribaldi said. If we can save another life or help educate other people about this disease, it is worth it.’
08/05/10
"Not every death from septic shock is avoidable, but no more lives should be lost simply because someone wasn’t watching closely."
'There is no God, only cake...'
Young woman with cystic fibrosis dies of "blood poisoning" one month after receiving a lung transplant.
08/04/10
After Emerging From Coma, Fred Hersch Plays Again
A longtime survivor of AIDS, Fred Hersch started having trouble with motor functionality. He was rushed to an ER, where his blood/oxygen monitor reading was extremely low. Doctors realized almost too late that he was going into septic shock. He ended up in a coma for two months.
Two-year-old who almost died recovers from 10 days in coma on life support
Sam Hall spent 10 days on life support in an induced coma and needed a total blood transfusion to stop his organs from failing."
Jacques Demers recovering from health scare
Famed NHL coach, Canadian senator, and literacy advocate almost dies because of sepsis following routine surgery.
08/03/10
Nurse Blames Own Hospital for Illness
"Jean Law spent nearly half her life caring for other people as a nurse at Baptist Medical Center South. Now Law is the one who needs constant care and is forced to be dependent on someone else for the rest of her life."
"Scientists have made an important discovery that could lead to new drugs that reduce the severity of blood infections leading to sepsis."
Photographer Ron Cowie talks about his photography, his love for his wife, and losing her to sepsis.
Why Pregnant Women Are Admitted To Intensive Care In NZ
Althought they call it "blood poisoning," this is an interesting article.
07/29/10
More Hospital Acquired Infections are Causing Death
A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that half of all deaths caused by infections such as sepsis and pneumonia resulted from hospital-acquired infections.
07/28/10
Sepsis Survivor Copes with Disability
Blood infection costs woman her hands and legs, courtesy of WAVY.com.
07/27/10
Study Examines Sepsis and Septic Shock After Surgery
Sepsis and septic shock appear to be more common than heart attacks or pulmonary blood clots among patients having general surgery, and the death rate for patients with septic shock is approximately 34 percent within 30 days of operation, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Surgery.
07/26/10
Sepsis Management Plan | Vanderbilt Emergency Medicine (Adobe PDF)
The goal of this protocol is to improve the efficiency and timeliness of care for patients who present to the ED with sepsis by standardizing and streamlining their care.
07/23/10
Palm Springs Woman Asking Questions After Daughter's Death,
Mother Claims Misdiagnosis In Treatment
"Jennifer Hawkins, 27, was a working mother and student without medical insurance who was taken off life-support at Loma Linda Medical Center earlier this month."
07/20/10
Sepsis threatens hospital patients (and others), study finds.
Add sepsis to your list of post-surgery worries. Or, if you're so inclined, to your list of worries in general.
07/20/10
Screening for Sepsis Could Save Lives, Researchers Say
Description: Emergency surgery, co-existing illness, age over 60 linked to deadly blood infection, study found.
07/12/10
Principles of Source Control in the Early Management of Sepsis
Effective and timely source control is critical to the successful management of life-threatening infection. This article reviews the principles of diagnosis and source-control management, and their application to common infections that result in severe sepsis and septic shock.
07/10/10
The 2008 guideline is an update to the previous guideline.
07/05/10
Bone Marrow Stem Cell Treats Deadly Infection
New research shows bone marrow from a commonly used stem cell may be able to treat sepsis.
07/02/10
Deadly Infections Could Be Treated with Stem Cells
Sepsis is a life-threatening medical condition that is caused by the body's response to infection.Sepsis which is often caused by a burst appendix, severe burns or pneumonia, is the No. 2 killer of patients in intensive care units in Canada and the U. S. The chief cause is multiple organ malfunction and severe lung injury, both tied for first place.
07/01/10
Immunotherapy for Sepsis — A New Approach against an Ancient Foe
The vast majority of patients with sepsis survive the initial insult, only to end up in the intensive care unit with sepsis-induced multiorgan dysfunction days or weeks later.
07/01/10
Stem-Cell Therapy May Provide New Approach To Fight Infection
The study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, shows that these cells can triple survival rates in an experimental model of sepsis.
05/24/10
An overview from Mercks' Manual,Second Home Edition.
05/24/10
Good resource of updated sepsis material. You can sign up free or; under Unregistered User,select sepsis as the channel.
05/06/10
Merinoff Symposium 2010: Sepsis—An International Call to Action
The Merinoff will be presented by the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research (FIMR) and co-hosted by the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine (WFSICCM), the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies (WFPICCS), the International Sepsis Forum (ISF), and the Sepsis Alliance (SA).
04/25/10
What happens if someone with bad diabetes refuses to amputate a dead foot?
The mortality of severe sepsis is still high, despite improved treatment modalities.
04/24/10
What happens if someone with bad diabetes refuses to amputate a dead foot?
The responses are given by forum.
03/11/10
Officials: Bacterial meningitis kills two Oklahoma students
03/10/10
'Lost Boys' star Corey Haim dies at 38
Haim was not feeling well Tuesday night and was running a low-grade fever, he said. The actor went into his mother's bedroom and asked her to lie down by him, Heaslip said. He told his mother he was having trouble breathing, and his mother told him to roll on his side, he said. He began to feel better, but at midnight he woke his mother by walking around the bedroom and then collapsed.
03/08/10
03/06/10
Red Flags of Serious Infection in Children
A review identifies four "red flags" that may help identify serious infection in children presenting in ambulatory care settings, but the authors say that the signs are inadequate by themselves. The analysis was published in the Lancet.
Using 30 studies done in developed countries, analysts identified cyanosis, rapid breathing, poor peripheral perfusion, and petechial rash as strong predictors of infection (all had positive likelihood ratios of 5 or more). Parental concern and clinical instinct also rated high. Common signs such as cough, vomiting, and diarrhea had lower value. In ruling out infection, the authors found the Yale Observation Scale "disappointing."
The authors say their study "highlights the nature and difficulty of the diagnostic task" in children.
02/24/10
Rapid Medical Relief — Project Medishare and the Haitian Earthquake
By 72 hours, we began to see deaths from sepsis. Open wounds that had not been sufficiently treated resulted in wet gangrene. To contain the situation, we used an aggressive strategy, with amputations of irreversibly injured limbs, open surgical débridement of wounds, and the administration of broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics.
02/23/10
Hospital-Acquired Sepsis, Pneumonia a "Growing Menace"
TUESDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Sepsis and pneumonia caused by hospital-acquired infections killed 48,000 people and led to $8.1 billion in increased health care costs in the United States in 2006, says a new study by a project called Extending the Cure.
02/22/10
Alexander Haig Dies of Infection
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alexander Haig, a former Army general who became White House chief of staff during the Watergate scandal and secretary of state during the Reagan administration, died Saturday at the age of 85.
02/09/10
Rep. John Murtha dies after surgery complications
It sounds like Rep. Murtha had an inadvertent bowel perforation which led to peritonitis and sepsis. Jim O'Brien, MD
02/05/10
Brittany Murphy's Husband: She Didn't Seem That Sick
I've heard this too often, although sepsis is less common among young people. They can hold on for so long until their body just gives out.
02/03/10
Technology helps combat sepsis at Banner Health.
Congratulations to Banner Health. More hospitals should be instituting sepsis programs.
01/06/10
What Is the Appropriate Evaluation and Treatment of Funguria?
01/03/10
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