- Around 48,000 people die each year from sepsis in the UK alone.
- It occurs when the immune system attacks itself due to an infection.
- New test could make a diagnosis in just 45 minutes
A blood test that can quickly identify sepsis could be a breakthrough against the ‘silent killer’.
The test identifies when a person’s immune system is in overdrive and can provide results in as little as 45 minutes.
Sepsis, better known as sepsis, is an infection that causes the immune system to overreact and attack organs, killing around 48,000 people in the UK.
Sepsis kills more people each year than breast, prostate, and colon cancers combined.
The new test is being trialled at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.
The research focuses on the actions of immune cells called neutrophils, which produce webs of genetic material to trap infections and stop their spread.
If there are too many of these foci, this is a red flag that the immune system is attacking too hard and someone has sepsis.
Now, scientists may be able to detect this early warning sign by measuring the levels of proteins produced by the web.
If the test proves effective, it could help identify patients with sepsis and give them antibiotics before they develop organ failure.
“Early detection of sepsis is critical to saving lives,” said Dr Andrew Retter, critical care consultant at Guy’s and St Thomas’ University, who is leading the study.
“Sepsis is the number one cause of death in hospitals, and each delay in treatment increases mortality by 8%.
“Being able to identify patients most at risk using a simple blood test could represent a paradigm shift in this field and potentially save thousands of lives each year.”
The one-year study, funded by Volition Diagnostics UK and launched last month, will test protein levels in 500 patients with sepsis or septic shock in St Thomas’ Hospital’s intensive care unit.
Doctors who treat patients with infectious diseases typically use a variety of blood tests. But the new one is more accurate and promising, as it could detect signs of sepsis earlier and allow faster treatment.
Experts say doctors will need to use it when it becomes available. Many cases of sepsis are missed because doctors don’t see the warning signs and don’t realize that testing is needed.
Dr Ron Daniels, chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust, said: “A test that can help identify which patients are at increased risk will help ensure that the most urgent patients are treated first. “It will be.”
“If this study proves that these proteins fulfill their promise as risk stratification tools, it will undoubtedly save lives.”
If successful in wider trials, the test could be used to screen patients at GP surgeries, when they go to A&E or when their condition worsens in hospital.
The Mails campaign to end the sepsis scandal helped raise awareness of the condition among patients and staff. This led to the publication of NHS quality standards for diagnosis and care.
After doctors’ concerns were allayed, Melissa Meade, whose 1-year-old son William died of sepsis in 2014, said: “If I had taken this test, I would have raised the alarm right away, and I probably wouldn’t have done it now.” He would have been alive,” he said.
“However, we must remember that to use a test as part of our decision-making toolkit, we must first ‘suspect sepsis.’ ”