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Showing results for tags 'Sepsis'.
Found 133 results
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Content ArticleThis article details the case and findings of an investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) into the death of Stephen Durkin. Stephen died after suffering organ failure from sepsis, while under the care of Wye Valley NHS Trust. His wife, Michelle Durkin, subsequently made a complaint that delays in the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis led to her husband’s death.
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Content ArticleIn this article for the Patient Safety Network, the authors highlight ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic initiated drastic modifications to the way in which health services are delivered across care settings, in particular in hospital emergency departments and inpatient units. They examine particular challenges highlighted by patient safety organisations (PSOs), including increases in safety incidents relating to pressure sores, sepsis, infections and communication issues. The article also highlights innovations to support safety that have been developed during the pandemic.
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News Article
Family of Cornwall girl, 6, misled over cause of death, coroner finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A six-year-old girl thought to have died from sepsis was in fact suffering from a blood condition triggered by E coli infection, an inquest has found. Coco Rose Bradford was taken to the Royal Cornwall hospital in the summer of 2017 suffering from stomach problems and later transferred to the Bristol Royal hospital for children, where she died. The following year an independent review flagged up failings in her care in Cornwall and the Royal Cornwall hospitals trust apologised for how it had treated her. Her family were left with the belief she had died of sepsis and could have been saved if she had been given antibiotics. But on Friday, coroner Andrew Cox, sitting in Truro, found that Coco died from multiple organ failure caused by haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). The inquest heard there is no proven treatment for HUS. Cox said Coco’s family had been misled over the sepsis diagnosis, which he said was deeply regrettable, adding: “As a matter of fact, I find Coco had overwhelming HUS, not overwhelming sepsis.” During the inquest, the court heard Coco’s family felt staff at the Cornish hospital were “dismissive, rude and arrogant” and did not take her condition seriously. Cox found that although staff had recognised the risk of HUS from the moment Coco was admitted, this was not clearly set out in a robust management plan. The coroner also said a lack of communication had made Coco “something of a hostage to fortune”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 14 January 2022 -
Content ArticleJane Bruce was discharged from hospital on 24 March 2020 and was receiving wound care from the community nursing team twice a week, after surgery on a fracture following a fall in November 2019. She initially appeared to be recovering until 29 April when her pain increased significantly, rendering her bed-bound, with the exudate from the wound significantly increased. She continued to deteriorate and presented to Leicester Royal Infirmary on 1 May with features consistent with sepsis, and subsequently died the following day. In her report, the Coroner highlights concerns about an absence of continuity in Ms Bruce’s wound care. She notes that she had been seen by several different nurses but due to lack of photographic evidence/accessible electronic records they did not have the relevant information to recognise the change in her condition.
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Content Article
Patient Safety Journal
Claire Cox posted an article in Suggest a useful website
The latest issue of the Patient Safety Journal is now out. US patient safety journal brought to you by the Patient Safety Authority, an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Each issue publishes original, peer-reviewed research and data analyses and also gives patients a voice. It's mission is to give clinicians, administrators and patients the information they need to prevent harm and improve safety. -
Content ArticleRhian Rose underwent feticide on 22 November 2019 and was admitted to a maternity ward on 24 November 2019 for medical termination of pregnancy. By the evening of her admission, Rhian had clear symptoms of infection, however the sepsis pathway and antibiotics were not commenced until the following morning. In the late afternoon on 25 November 2019, Rhian became acutely unwell resulting in unconsciousness, emergency caesarean section, subsequent cardiac arrest and eventually her death. In this report the Coroner raises concerns about a lack of informed consent and discussion of maternal wishes and the mode of delivery highlighted by this case. He highlights a lack of guidance relating to the infection risk when a mother is attending for delivery following feticide.
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Content ArticleGomes et al. report the utilisation and impact of a novel triage-based electronic screening tool (eST) combined with clinical assessment to recognise sepsis in paediatric emergency department. An electronic sepsis screening tool was implemented in the paediatric emergency departments of two large UK secondary care hospitals between June 2018 and January 2019. Patients eligible for screening were children < 16 years of ages excluding those with minor injuries or who were brought directly to resuscitation. Utilisation of a novel triage-based eST allowed sepsis screening in over 99% of eligible patients. The screening tool showed good accuracy to recognise sepsis at triage in the ED, which was augmented further by combining it with clinician assessment. The screening tool requires further refinement through multicentre evaluation to avoid missing sepsis cases.
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Content ArticleThe purpose of this investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) is to help improve patient safety in relation to recognition of the acutely ill infant and child, recognising the difficulty in distinguishing between simple viral illnesses and life-threatening bacterial infections in very young patients. This Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch investigation reviewed the case of Mohammad, a baby who had become unwell and was taken to an emergency department by ambulance following a call to NHS 111. He arrived at 8.04pm and was considered to have a mild viral illness, subsequently being transferred to a paediatric observational ward, and discharged at 11.45pm with a diagnosis of likely bronchiolitis. At approximately 3.40am his mother contacted the ward as his condition worsened, which resulted in a 999 call. The ambulance crew did not consider that Mohammad was seriously ill so did not conduct a ‘blue light’ emergency transfer to hospital. Mohammad was admitted to the emergency department at approximately 4.40am and suffered a respiratory and then cardiac arrest at 5:28am, with attempts to resuscitate unsuccessful and stopped at 6:10am. Mohammad died of septicaemia caused by meningococcus (serogroup B) bacteria.
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News Article
Change to sepsis advice after mums' herpes deaths
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Advice on how new mothers with sepsis should be treated is to change after two women died of a herpes infection. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says viral sources of infections should be considered and appropriate treatment offered. This comes after the BBC revealed one surgeon might have infected the mothers while performing Caesareans on them. The East Kent Hospitals Trust said it had not been possible to identify the source of either infection. Kimberley Sampson, 29, and Samantha Mulcahy, 32, died of an infection caused by the herpes virus 44 days apart in 2018, shortly after giving birth by Caesarean section. Their families were told there was no link between the deaths but BBC News revealed on Monday that both operations had been carried out by the same surgeon. Documents we uncovered showed that the trust had been told two weeks after the second death that "it does look like surgical contamination". Edward Morris, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which set standards in maternity care, said routine investigation and management of maternal sepsis "should always consider viral sources of infection, and appropriate changes should be instituted to support earlier diagnosis and treatment". Medics treating Ms Sampson and Mrs Mulcahy assumed they were suffering from a bacterial infection and didn't prescribe the anti-viral medication that may had saved their lives. The Royal College said the two deaths should be "fully investigated" as "surgical infection appears to be a significant possibility". But BBC News has learned that the East Kent Hospitals Trust, which treated both women, never told the coroner's office that the same surgeon had carried out both operations or that an investigation they had ordered had suggested the virus strains the two women had died from appeared to be "epidemiologically linked". Read full story Source: BBC News, 23 November 2021 -
News Article
Trust fined £2.5m after deaths of two patients
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
An acute trust has been fined £2.5m after pleading guilty to charges of failing to provide safe care after the deaths of two patients. The Care Quality Commission brought charges against The Dudley Group Foundation Trust earlier this year over care failings in two separate cases which the regulator said exposed two patients to “significant risk of avoidable harm”. The trust pleaded guilty to the charges in July and was fined during a sentencing hearing today. The cases, involving 33-year-old mother of six Natalie Billingham, and 14-year-old Kaysie-Jane Bland [also known as Kaysie-Jayne Robinson], were both in 2018 and related to care at the trust’s Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley. Ms Billingham was admitted to Dudley’s Russells Hall Hospital with numbness in her right foot on 28 February 2018 and died on 2 March of organ failure caused by a “time critical” infection. The court was told she was initially thought to have a deep vein thrombosis after a three-minute triage that failed to identify "disordered" observations. The hospital then had multiple reasons to reconsider the initial diagnosis, but opportunities for review were "missed or ignored". In the case of Kaysie-Jane, who had cerebral palsy, an "early warning score" was inaccurate, meaning a sepsis screening tool was not triggered. The CQC said the care both patients received at Russells Hall Hospital was undermined by the Dudley Group’s failure to address known safety failings which the regulator repeatedly raised with the trust in the months before their deaths. The CQC said the trust did not take all reasonable steps to make improvements, despite its intervention. The trust has denied it did not react to the concerns raised. Failings included errors in the hospital’s initial assessments and monitoring of both patients, which hindered the timely escalation of concerns. A lawyer acting on behalf of the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust had admitted the trust failed to provide treatment in a safe way, resulting in harm, in February and March 2018. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 19 November 2021 -
Event
Deteriorating Patient Summit
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
The Deteriorating Patient Summit focuses on recognising and responding to the deteriorating patient through improving the reliability of patient observations and ensuring quality of care. The conference will include National Developments including the recent recommendations from the Royal College of Physicians on NEWS2 and Covid-19, and implementing the recommendations from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch Report Investigation into recognising and responding to critically unwell patients. The conference will include practical case study based sessions on identifying patients at risk of deterioration, improving practice in patient observations, responding to the deteriorating patient, improving escalation and understanding success factors in escalation, sepsis & covid-19, involving patients and families in recognising deterioration, and improving the communication and use of NEWS2 not only in an acute setting but also in the community and at the interface of care. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/deteriorating-patient-summit or email kate@hc-uk.org.uk hub member receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for the code. Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #deterioratingpatient -
Content ArticleThis article in Patient Safety looks at a new approach to identifying and monitoring patients with sepsis developed by a team of nurses at WellSpan Health in the USA. The Central Alert Team (CAT) works remotely, looking for indicators of sepsis in patient charts and vital signs. They relay information and treatment advice to nurses working at the bedside and take an adaptive approach to find the best ways of working. This focused approach means the CAT nurses are able to quickly identify patients who are deteriorating and ensure treatment is administered at the right time.
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Content Article
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Post-operative sepsis is the term used to describe a rare complication of surgery; when sepsis has occurred shortly after an operation which affects one or more organs of the body. In severe cases it can cause life-threatening multi-organ failure, which requires admission to an Intensive Care Unit. This patient/relative guide, from the UK Sepsis Trust, looks at causes, symptoms and treatments for post-operative sepsis. -
Event
World Sepsis Congress 2021
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
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News Article
Hospitals using out-of-date sepsis triage tools put A&E patients at risk
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Some hospitals are using an out of date triaging tool for emergency patients suffering from sepsis that could leave them at risk of harm. A warning has been issued to NHS trusts to make sure their triage tools are up to date with the latest advice after several reported incidents in accident and emergency departments. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine flagged the risk to NHS England in a letter seen by The Independent warning patients could come to harm if action wasn’t taken. NHS England and NHS Digital has issued an alert to hospital chief executives warning of a potential safety risk. It told members: “The latest version of the system has updated treatment priorities especially in relation to the treatment of adult and paediatric sepsis. It is therefore crucial that if your organisation uses the Manchester Triage System clinical risk management triage tool, please ensure that the most recent version is being used and where this is not the case, specific local mitigation for the risks is in place.” It added that hospitals should ensure the latest versions of any clinical systems were being used to safeguard patient care. Read full story Source: The Independent, 8 April 2021 -
News ArticleA young NHS patient suffering a sickle cell crisis called 999 from his hospital bed to request oxygen, an inquest into his death was told. Evan Nathan Smith, 21, died on 25 April 2019 at North Middlesex Hospital, in Edmonton, north London, after suffering from sepsis following a procedure to remove a gallbladder stent. The inquest heard Smith told his family he called the London Ambulance Service because he thought it was the only way to get the help he needed. Nursing staff told Smith he did not need oxygen when he requested it in the early hours of 23 April, despite a doctor telling the inquest he had “impressed” on the nurses he should have it. Smith’s sepsis is thought to have triggered the sickle cell crisis – a condition that causes acute pain as blood vessels to certain parts of the body become blocked. Barnet Coroner's Court heard Smith, from Walthamstow in east London, might have survived if he had been offered a blood transfusion sooner but the hospital’s haematology team were not told he had been admitted. Read full story Source: The Independent, 3 April 2021
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Content ArticleThe Patient Safety Authority has put together information and tips for patients on a range of topics.
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Event
Deteriorating Patient Summit
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
The Deteriorating Patient Summit focuses on recognising and responding to the deteriorating patient through improving the reliability of patient observations and ensuring quality of care. The conference will include National Developments including the recent recommendations from the Royal College of Physicians on NEWS2 and COVID-19, and implementing the recommendations from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch Report Investigation into recognising and responding to critically unwell patients. The conference will include practical case study based sessions on identifying patients at risk of deterioration, improving practice in patient observations, responding to the deteriorating patient, improving escalation and understanding success factors in escalation, sepsis and COVID-19, involving patients and families in recognising deterioration, and improving the communication and use of NEWS2 in the community, including care homes, and at the interface of care. Follow the conference on Twitter #deterioratingpatient Register -
Content Article
A father’s journey to sepsis legislation
PatientSafetyLearning Team posted an article in Deterioration and sepsis
This blog, from the US-based Patient Safety Movement, tells the story of Gabriella Galbo who died of preventable causes. The systems that were supposed to keep her safe and bring her back to health were established on an unreliable, fragmented foundation with no checks and balances and certainly no person-centered culture of safety. Gabby’s full story can be read via the link below, as told by her father, Tony. Included are tips from Tony for using your voice to prompt tangible action and to ensure policies are in place to prevent medical errors, like those experienced by Gabby. -
Content Article
Patient Safety Movement: Story of Pat Denton
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in By patients and public
The story of Pat Denton who died from a surgery site infection after surgery. -
Content ArticleThis Take, Treat and Test webinar took place on 10 September 2020, presented by Dr Ron Daniels, Founder, and Executive Director – Clinical – Sepsis Trust UK and Consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthesia, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
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Content ArticleThis Annual Quality Statement provides a summary of the work of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in 2019-2020, with a particular focus on community mental health.
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News ArticleAn investigation into the outbreak of a bacterial infection that killed 15 people has found there were several “missed opportunities” in their care. Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group has released the outcome of a 10-month investigation into a Strep A outbreak in 2019, which killed 15 people and affected a further 24. The final report was critical of Provide, a community interest company based in Colchester, as well as the former Mid Essex Hospital Services Trust (now part of Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust). It said: “This investigation has identified that in some cases there were missed opportunities where treatment should have been more proactive, holistic and timely. These do not definitively indicate that their outcomes would have been different.” Investigators found that 13 of the 15 people that died had received poor wound care from Provide CIC. They reported that inappropriate wound dressings were used and record keeping was so poor that deterioration of wounds was not recognised. Even wounds that had not improved over 22 days were not escalated to senior team members for help or referred to the tissue viability service for specialist advice, with investigators told this was often due to concerns over team capacity. The report, commissioned by the CCG and conducted by consultancy firm Facere Melius, said: “[Some] individuals became increasingly unwell over a period of time in the community, yet their deterioration either went unnoticed or was not acted upon promptly. Sometimes their condition had become so serious that they were very ill before acute medical intervention was sought”. Other findings included delays in the community in the taking of wound swabs to determine if the wound was infected and by which bacteria. It said in one case nine days elapsed before the requested swab took place. Even after Public Health England asked for all wounds to be swabbed following the initial outbreak, this was only conducted on a single patient. In other cases there were delays in patients being given antibiotics and this “could have had an adverse impact on the treatment for infection”. It also found that sepsis guidelines were not accurately followed, wounds were not uncovered for inspection in A&E, and some patients were given penicillin-based antibiotics despite penicillin allergies being listed in their health records. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 17 September 2020
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Content ArticleThis World Health Organization (WHO) report highlights the public health impact of sepsis, with a particular focus on specific populations and those seeking healthcare, and we propose future directions and priorities in sepsis epidemiology research. Sepsis has many faces and can be a life-threatening condition, but it is potentially preventable and reversible. Research and policy-makers must be ready to forge partnerships to stimulate funding and help place sepsis more firmly on the list of critical health conditions to target in the pursuit of universal health coverage.
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EventThis year’s programme brings together highly ranked representatives of international and national healthcare authorities, NGOs, policymakers, clinical scientists, researchers, and pioneers in healthcare improvement with the unified goal of improving AMR and sepsis healthcare around the world. The objectives of this free Spotlight online congress are to review achievements, challenges, and potential solutions to combat the threats posed by AMR and sepsis globally. Speakers will describe the current global epidemiology and burden of sepsis and AMR, explore a future research agenda, provide an overview of lessons and challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent Ebola outbreaks, and ultimately explore innovative and cost-effective approaches to preventing and combating sepsis and AMR. The WSC Spotlight is a free online congress and is attended by a large number of clinicians, health decision-makers, and other health workers. For example, more than 40,000 people from 160 countries tuned in to the 2017 WSC Spotlight on maternal and neonatal sepsis (and accessed more than 300,000 times on YouTube and Apple Podcasts in the following weeks). Moreover, at the occasion of this congress, WHO will launch the first Global report on the epidemiology and burden of sepsis. The report describes results from original research and existing published evidence, the methodologies and limitations of the studies, and identifies gaps and priorities for future research. Programme and registration
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