In the United States, sepsis takes a life every two minutes. This means that in the time it takes to read this article, someone will die from sepsis.
Sepsis begins with an infection that develops into a life-threatening condition when the body triggers an overwhelming immune response. This can lead to widespread inflammation and potential organ failure. Timely intervention is crucial for better outcomes, as many cases result in high mortality and long-term impairments for survivors.
Nationwide, more than 1.7 million people are diagnosed with sepsis, and 350,000 adults die each year. Sepsis care costs the United States $38 billion annually. With 11.4 deaths per 100,000 individuals, North Carolina is among the 15 states with the highest sepsis mortality rates, according to 2022 CDC data.
Early detection and treatment are critical, but delays remain a challenge due to inconsistent diagnosis and treatment protocols.
This is why the Novant Health Center for Public Policy Solutions is seeking a clear and consistent definition of sepsis that prioritizes early detection and intervention, leading to lower mortality rates. Novant Health is an integrated healthcare network in the Carolinas that includes more than 1,900 physicians and nearly 40,000 team members who provide care at more than 850 hospitals and clinics. The Novant Health Center for Public Policy Solutions shapes and advances public policies to address top health issues that drive action using the latest research and expertise from frontline clinicians.
The Center has published a whitepaper advocating for early detection and treatment of sepsis to save more lives.
Sepsis definitions have evolved over the last three decades, starting in 1991, when medical consensus panels defined sepsis as a widespread infection causing inflammation throughout the entire body. In 2001, the Sepsis-2 definition added organ damage thresholds and created clear categories for different severity levels, leading to earlier treatment.
Then in 2016, Sepsis-3 — an organ-failure model — fundamentally changed how medicine identifies sepsis by removing inflammation requirements entirely and defining sepsis by the presence of an infection causing life-threatening organ dysfunction. Research suggests this approach delays recognition of cases where early treatment could prevent organ damage or loss of life.
The Center’s whitepaper outlines a general consensus among clinicians advocating for the Sepsis-2 model, claiming early detection is imperative for proper treatment to avoid patient mortality, particularly for sepsis cases in children and other high-risk patients.
Some states, most notably Kentucky, New York, and Illinois have passed legislation requiring statewide protocols to prioritize the identification and early treatment of sepsis and septic shock.
And last June, the bipartisan SEPSIS Act was reintroduced in Congress, calling sepsis a solvable policy problem requiring coordinated action, better data collection, and recognition that improving sepsis care requires partnership between agencies and frontline healthcare teams.
For North Carolina families facing sepsis, this federal action represents hope that policy barriers are being addressed.
Standardizing sepsis coverage by establishing a clear and consistent definition of sepsis, prioritizing early detection and intervention, enhancing state-level sepsis outcome tracking, and addressing rural access through telehealth policies that ensure rapid access to sepsis expertise when local resources are limited are key to improving health outcomes for the communities we serve.
The Center has helped elevate sepsis as a critical issue with this research and is a ready partner as policymakers seek ways to improve healthcare.
You must be logged in to post a comment.