According to the National Institutes of Health (www.nih.gov), Sepsis, a disease caused by a bacterial infection, kills more than 375,000 Americans each year which is more than the number of deaths from prostate cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined. The number of cases is up 153% from 1993-2009. Medicare covers 58% of Sepsis cases. Sepsis accounted for the single most expensive reason for Americans being hospitalized in 2009. Government data reported that treatments for sepsis totaled $15.4 billion and resulted in 1.7 million hospital stays.
Sepsis can occur from a wide varity of afflictions including the flu, a urinary tract infection or pneumonia. In 10% of cases, doctors can determine the type of infection that led to sepsis. The symptoms for sepsis include fever, chills, disorientation and rapid breathing and an accelerated heart rate. Treatment of antibiotics must begin immediately for patients with suspected sepsis. Sepsis is fast spreading and will cause organs to shut down even if antibiotics are administered. Diagnosing sepsis early like other life threatening diseases provides the greatest likelihood of survival.
