Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) in the US has announced that its three-year "severe sepsis prevention initiative" has saved about 991 lives and reduced the inpatient mortality rate due to sepsis by 33%.
CWH launched its three-year sepsis prevention initiative to reduce THE inpatient severe mortality rate by 5% across its 41 hospitals in Arizona, California, and Nevada.
The healthcare company estimates that it has saved $36m in directive variable costs through this initiative.
To implement the initiative, CHW staff focused on preventative aspects such as recognition of severe sepsis patients, increasing the use of aggressive and appropriate treatment, and educating healthcare professionals.
The CWH hospitals adopted a series of effective treatments, such as measuring patient’s blood lactate levels and blood cultures and administering appropriate antibiotics in the first hour when the patient visits the emergency department.
R Phillip Dellinger MD, a leader in the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, said CHW's caregivers have demonstrated the power of a well-organised quality programme that reduces morbidity and mortality while achieving significant cost savings.
Sepsis is the body’s response to a serious bacterial infection, which can rapidly lead to organ failure and death if not diagnosed early.
