It's World Sepsis Day today and all Trusts are committed to raising awareness so we can eradicate it.

Sepsis is the presence of harmful bacteria and their toxins through any infection.

So as part of CHFT's response, our ED consultant Huw Masson has developed a " bingo game" approach to detecting and treating it.

Huw's bingo may seem a light-hearted approach to a very serious condition, however it's also a brilliant way of getting the key messages across.

Here's a guide to all you need to know about Sepsis and how to spot and stop it.

What are the key indicators?

  • Suspicion of infection
  • And any of the red flags
    • Hr>130
    • Rr>25
    • sBP<90
    • Altered level of conciousness
    • cyanosis
    • mottled
    • purpura (non-blannching rash)
    • no urine output for >18hrs

Also,  include the amber flags on the website  https://www.embeds.co.uk/2018/09/01/sepsis-update/

What happens if we don’t spot it?

Who is most vulnerable?

Sepsis effects every one young and old  - and can be devastating for the patient

Why the bingo approach?

  • Nurses said that since EPR started they felt they were missing a reminder/trigger to think of sepsis
  • In response to their concerns we thought about how we could develop a triggering system
    • We wanted it to be memorable and easy
    • This just popped to mind

Are we getting better at detecting it?

When we started auditing for our Haloe improvement project ED was @ about 40% for antibotics within an hour – now we are @ 60% but we need to do better.

As a Trust we've taken huge steps over the past few years to tackle Sepsis, which must continue. In today's media there is a story about us admitting breach of duty and apologising to a local family, when a mum died. You can read the story here.