Sepsis Remains a Costly Killer

In recent years, survival rates have risen sharply among children who develop sepsis.  With that in mind, new research shows that recovery from sepsis remains very difficult for most patients.

Many patients still feel the effects for months after they are discharged from the hospital.

Lead research author Elizabeth Killien, a pediatric critical care medicine fellow at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said that while it is increasingly rare for children to die from severe infections in the United States, the number of children experiencing sepsis actually is increasing.

"What we found was that more than 23 percent of the patients hospitalized with sepsis have a significant decline in quality of life after hospitalization," Dr. Killien said.

Moreover, a retrospective study on hospital readmission within 30 days found that 11.9-12.4% had a diagnosis of sepsis. Further, the average cost of hospital readmission for these particular patients was $10,760-10,897 per patient!

Sepsis is an overly aggressive immune response by the body to an infection. 

Obviously, the most effective way to prevent sepsis is to not have an infection in the first place.

One very effective way of preventing an infection is getting vaccinated on a regular basis.

According to the Centers of Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC), people should be up to date with pneumonia, influenza, and meningitis vaccines in order to avoid sepsis.

Not everyone can receive some vaccines. For example, people who have weakened immune systems may be advised to delay or not receive certain vaccines.  Additionally, some people are allergic to an inactive ingredient in a particular vaccine.  Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information.

The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.