Sepsis

Sepsis can be hard to spot early; it is a syndrome with many faces and many of its symptoms mimic those of other conditions.

There is currently a lack of biomarkers to diagnose sepsis symptomatically. Without prompt treatment, it can lead to multiple organ failure and death. Once sepsis is diagnosed, existing treatments – antibiotics, plus supportive therapies such as ventilation, IV fluids and vasopressors – are often not enough.

The risk of death from sepsis increases by 7.6% for each hour of delay in appropriate antibiotic therapy.

Sepsis is costly; the average hospital-wide cost of sepsis was estimated to be more than US $32 000 per patient in high-income countries