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Surviving Sepsis Puerto Rico: A Call For Action
Insights
Sepsis is a common and costly hospitalization cause. Early identification and treatment, like Early Goal Directed Therapy (EGDT), significantly reduce mortality, yet awareness remains low in Puerto Rico.
Area of Science:
- Critical Care Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Sepsis accounts for 1.7 million hospitalizations annually in the US, costing $15.3 billion.
- Sepsis hospitalizations are 75% longer than for other conditions, indicating a significant burden on healthcare resources.
- Early Goal Directed Therapy (EGDT) has demonstrated a 16.5% reduction in sepsis-related mortality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the scarcity of sepsis knowledge among physicians in Puerto Rico.
- To educate healthcare professionals on the critical importance of early sepsis identification and management.
- To propose treatment protocols to reduce sepsis-related morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and costs in Puerto Rican hospitals.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on sepsis management and Early Goal Directed Therapy (EGDT).
- Analysis of knowledge gaps regarding sepsis identification criteria (SIRS) among physicians in Puerto Rico.
- Development of proposed treatment protocols tailored for Puerto Rican hospitals.
Main Results:
- A 2006 study in Puerto Rico revealed only 31.4% of physicians correctly identified SIRS criteria.
- Significant knowledge deficit regarding sepsis identification and management exists among healthcare providers in Puerto Rico.
- EGDT has proven effective in reducing mortality in sepsis patients.
Conclusions:
- There is a critical need for increased awareness and education on sepsis management in Puerto Rico.
- Implementing standardized treatment protocols can improve sepsis care outcomes.
- Early identification and prompt treatment are essential to reduce the significant impact of sepsis on patient health and healthcare costs.
Abstract:
There are 1.7 million sepsis-related hospitalizations each year making it the sixth most common cause for hospitalization in the United States. Not only are this hospitalizations common, they are expensive to our medical system with $15.3 billion spent yearly (3) and hospitalizations lasting 75% longer than for other conditions. In 2001, Rivers et al published in the NEJM the results of his study "Early Goal Directed Therapy (EGDT) in The Treatment of Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock". EGDT demonstrated a 16.5% decrease in mortality in septic patients (4). In 2002 the Surviving Sepsis Campaign began as a collaboration between the Society of Critical Care Medicine and European Society of Intensive Care Medicine with goals of reducing worldwide sepsis related mortality by 25% in the next 5 years. Despite the proven benefit of early identification and management, knowledge regarding the topic in Puerto Rico remains scarce. In a study performed in PR by Fernandez et al. in 2006, only an alarming 31.4% of doctors from different specialties correctly identified SIRS criteria. Our goal is to educate physicians about the importance of early identification and treatment of the septic patient. A campaign to increase awareness and improve care is essential and we propose treatment protocols for our Puerto Rican hospitals to help reduce morbidity, mortality, length of stay and costs.
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