Daily Brief: 2017.1.27
THREAT ANALYSIS
Readmissions Related to Sepsis
According to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, sepsis accounted for more 30-day readmissions and is costlier than heart attacks, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia. These findings highlight the need for coordinated efforts to develop new medical interventions to improve sepsis outcomes and reduce readmissions.
(Sources: Fierce Healthcare, Medpage Today)
In order to conduct this investigation researchers analyzed data from the 2013 Nationwide Readmissions Database, which maintains data on acute care hospitalizations from 21 states. Beginning with 14,325,172 hospitalizations, researchers identified 1,187,697 associated with unplanned readmission within 30 days. Researchers then ranked the data based on unplanned readmissions attributable to the five conditions of interest.
(Source: Medpage Today)
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection. It occurs when inflammatory responses are triggered throughout the body by chemicals that are released into the bloodstream to fight the infection. Sepsis has the potential to progress to severe sepsis and then to septic shock, which causes an individuals blood pressure to drop dramatically and may lead to death.
(Sources: Mayo Clinic, CDC)
ACTION STEPS
- Get vaccinated against the flu, pneumonia, and any other infections that could lead to sepsis. Talk to your doctor for more information.
- Prevent infections that can lead to sepsis by cleaning scrapes and wounds and practicing good hygiene (e.g., hand washing).
- If you have a severe infection, look for signs and symptoms like: shivering, fever, or very cold, extreme pain or discomfort, clammy or sweaty skin, confusion or disorientation, short of breath, and high heart rate.
(Source: CDC)