A type of molecule known as a “nanocarrier” may someday help to protect against sepsis, a life-threatening infection that kills one in three patients in the U.S. Sepsis is one of the leading causes of death in intensive care units and, with an estimated price tag of $20 billion in 2011, the most expensive condition… Continue reading A New Weapon in The Fight against Sepsis
Tag: sepsis
A More Complex Understanding of Sepsis
Sepsis is a common condition that occurs when the body reacts to an infection in the bloodstream. Scientists know little about the early stages of the condition; however, physicians must act fast. Every hour that passes without one or more of the few treatments available increases the risk of death. Now, researchers from Sanford Burnham… Continue reading A More Complex Understanding of Sepsis
Get Ahead of Sepsis
Infections can put you and your family at risk for a life-threatening condition called sepsis. Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It’s what happens when an infection you already have – in your skin, lungs, urinary tract, or somewhere else – triggers a chain reaction through your body. It’s life-threatening, and without… Continue reading Get Ahead of Sepsis
Quick Test Finds Signs of Sepsis in a Single Drop of Blood
A new portable device can quickly find markers of deadly, unpredictable sepsis infection from a single drop of blood. A team of researchers from the University of Illinois and Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois completed a clinical study of the device, which is the first to provide rapid, point-of-care measurement of the immune system’s… Continue reading Quick Test Finds Signs of Sepsis in a Single Drop of Blood
Readily Available Drug Cocktail May Help Prevent Sepsis Shock and Death
Sepsis, also known as blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that presents a major challenge for health care providers. This is especially true in low-income countries where the mortality rate can exceed 60 percent. Even in advanced medical settings, however, sepsis is still very dangerous and accounts for over 400,000 deaths annually in the U.S.… Continue reading Readily Available Drug Cocktail May Help Prevent Sepsis Shock and Death
What You Need to Know If Your Teen Wants to Get Tattoos
You may not want your child to get visible tattoos out of fear that your child may look unprofessional or regret making a permanent body change. However, the real concern is much deeper than physical appearance or having regrets in life. If done properly, tattoos completed with clean needles in licensed establishments are usually safe.… Continue reading What You Need to Know If Your Teen Wants to Get Tattoos
Oral Corticosteroids: A Hazard?
Short-term oral corticosteroid use, a common remedy for millions who want to reduce back pain or allergy symptoms, may have some serious consequences, according to new research. People taking the pills were more likely to break a bone or have a potentially dangerous blood clot or bout of sepsis in the months after their treatment,… Continue reading Oral Corticosteroids: A Hazard?
Simple Measures Cut Sepsis Deaths Nearly in Half
Hospitals should prepare simple standardized treatment protocols for early recognition and treatment of sepsis, a condition in which infections spread to the bloodstream. That’s the finding of researchers who were able to cut the number of patients who died from sepsis, by 40% (from 12.5% to 7.1%) after the introduction of relatively easy steps at… Continue reading Simple Measures Cut Sepsis Deaths Nearly in Half
Another Purpose for A Lifesaving Cancer Drug
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai say that tiny doses of a cancer drug may stop the raging, uncontrollable immune response to infection that leads to sepsis and kills up to 500,000 people a year in the U.S. The new drug treatment may also benefit millions of people worldwide who are… Continue reading Another Purpose for A Lifesaving Cancer Drug
New Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock
Updated definitions and clinical criteria for sepsis should facilitate earlier recognition and more timely management of patients with or at risk of developing sepsis. The report, which appeared in the February 23rd issue of JAMA, was released to coincide with its presentation at the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s 45th Critical Care Congress in Orlando,… Continue reading New Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock
Animal and Human Bites Can Both Lead to Infections
We love our pets and they can bring us much joy and laughter. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, over 43 million American households have at least one dog, and over 36 million have at least one cat. Unfortunately, as much as we love these, they can hurt us with nips and bites that… Continue reading Animal and Human Bites Can Both Lead to Infections
New Sepsis-Treatment Guidelines Can Help Save Patients
University of Pittsburgh researchers have developed guidelines that will help health care facilities comply with tough new regulations on treating sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. It occurs in more than 230,000 U.S. patients every year, with most initially… Continue reading New Sepsis-Treatment Guidelines Can Help Save Patients
Better Care Needed for Sepsis Patients
Health-care practitioners need to provide more individualized care to patients who have suffered sepsis so they won’t have to be readmitted to a hospital, researchers said. A study published in JAMA looked at data from 2,6000 survivors of sepsis, a critical illness that shuts down internal organs following an infection. About 42 percent of the… Continue reading Better Care Needed for Sepsis Patients
Vaccine Holds Hope of Preventing MRSA
Research reported online in December 2014 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA holds new hope for preventing or reducing the severity of infections caused by the “superbug” MRSA. In the study, infectious disease specialists at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) reported that a new… Continue reading Vaccine Holds Hope of Preventing MRSA
A Major Effort Needed to Fight Sepsis
Sepsis – a blood infection that can lead to organ failure and death – is just as important a research subject as heart disease or pneumonia, according to health experts from the University of Michigan Medical School. Although sepsis isn’t as well-known as heart disease, the experts say, it now affects more hospital patients, and… Continue reading A Major Effort Needed to Fight Sepsis
A Novel Therapy for Sepsis
A University of Tokyo research group has discovered that pentatraxin 3 (PTX3), a protein that helps the innate immune system target invaders such as bacteria and viruses, can reduce mortality of mice suffering from sepsis. This discovery may lead to a therapy for sepsis, a major cause of death in developed countries that is fatal… Continue reading A Novel Therapy for Sepsis