A quarter of patients with sepsis have experience delays in getting treatment, according to research by BBC News.
Hospitals are supposed to put a person on an antibiotic drip within an hour. Delays raise the chance of potentially fatal complications such as organ failure and even death.
New wireless monitoring technology, developed by a UK company can detect the onset of sepsis in patients fast, and is already on the market.
The Patient Status Engine, a wireless monitoring system designed and developed by Isansys Lifecare in Oxfordshire, uses body-worn “smart patch” sensors to collect vital signs automatically, continuously and in real-time. The platform then uses this data to flag up any changes in a patient’s condition and alerts clinicians to what could be the early onset of sepsis faster than they would have otherwise been able to detect it.
Keith Errey, CEO of Isansys, said: “Being able to identify patients at the highest risk of deterioration is key for clinicians and nurses. Too often their workloads are overwhelming and they don’t have time to observe their patients closely at all times. Our technology does this for them and provides earlier indications of patient deterioration than can’t be achieved with manual monitoring alone. This is invaluable in the global fight against sepsis.
“Not only does the PSE provide early warning scores and alerts when a patient’s vital signs significantly change but it also allows the real-time monitoring of patients’ responses to treatment. This enables timely interventions which enhance the care and safety of patients.”
The PSE has been trialled in NHS hospitals, most notably at the Birmingham Women's and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, but problems of funding and new technology adoption in the NHS mean that this lifesaving innovation is not yet standard care throughout the NHS. Hospitals in Europe, the US, India and Australia currently working on programs to adopt the PSE as the new standard for monitoring patients, in order to improve patient safety in general and in particular, reduce the number of deaths and major adverse events resulting from the late diagnosis of sepsis.
And it is not only adult patients. Isansys is also working with the Northwell Health Group in New York on a major study which shows wireless continuous monitoring of mothers in labour using the PSE promises new insights in neonatal care, maternal fever being a significant predictor of early onset neonatal sepsis.
In a response to the research by the BBC, NHS England said there were signs performance was improving but reports from families affected by sepsis show more still needs to be done.
Dr Ron Daniels, of the UK Sepsis Trust, said the "concerning" figures showed patients were being put at risk, the one-hour window was "essential to increase the chances of surviving" and that there is no reason why it should take longer.”
The Sepsis Trust believes there are about 250,000 cases every year in the UK - and more than 50,000 deaths.
