Sepsis: Antibiotics ‘Not Working’

Doctors specialising in intensive care are warning that the growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics could be leading to a rise in the number of people who die from sepsis.

Around 37,000 people in the UK die each year from sepsis – the result of blood poisoning – and doctors say things could get much worse without new treatments and better prevention.

Source: Hugh Pym reports BBC News 20th August 2014

Facts about sepsis

• Sepsis is a more common reason for hospital admission than heart attack and has a higher mortality.
• The most common causes of severe sepsis are pneumonia, bowel perforation, urinary infection, and severe skin infections.
• The most common signs of sepsis are a high fever, violent shivering, fainting, cold and pale hands, rapid breathing, confusion or delirium.
• 37,000 people are estimated to die of sepsis each year in the UK.
• From the time sepsis first takes hold, healthcare workers have just hours to deliver the right care.