News: Sepsis Plays a Role in Late Deaths, Data Suggests

Sepsis, a dangerous outcome triggered by an infection, can be fast-moving, debilitating, and fatal.

Now researchers are finding that even those who survive tissue damage and organ failure caused by sepsis can have a higher risk of “late death,” defined as mortality within two years of being treated for the condition.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System studied the causes sepsis-related of late death, but it is unclear whether the sepsis itself or a pre-existing health problem is driving the elevated mortality rate.  

The findings suggest that "long-term mortality after sepsis could be more amenable to intervention than previously thought," according to the study.

Compared to patients admitted to the hospital with a non-sepsis infection, patients with sepsis had a 10% absolute increase in late death, researchers found. The study also found a 16% absolute increase in late death among sepsis patients compared to those admitted with sterile inflammatory conditions. Sepsis was also associated with a 22% absolute increase in late mortality relative to similar, hospitalized adults.

The incidence of sepsis among hospitals patients has risen from 621,000 in 2000 to 1,141,000 in 2008, according to the latest figures available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by HealthLeaders Media.