Patty Duke's death bringing sepsis into the news

[smf0903]

I read a really well-written article this morning about Patty Duke's death which was attributed to sepsis. Of course now I can't find that particular article, but here is a similar one which talks a bit about sepsis and septic shock.

Our facility now has sepsis alerts which pop up when vitals are put in (if vitals and labs indicate a potential for sepsis). The alert will only go away after documenting alerting the hospitalist. Our facility has really been pushing awareness of sepsis in the past few months, so I thought it was interesting that this was in the news.

Patty Duke's Death Announcement Is A Milestone For Sepsis Awareness

[twss2323]

This is really interesting and I think diligence in order to catch sepsis early before it progresses in to septic shock is of utmost importance.

However, I have really mixed feelings about an article for the lay public that states "make sure you say the words 'I'm worried about sepsis'".

It's great for patients to be aware of their health issues and involved in their care, but I just see this opening a whole new can of worms. "Sepsis" is gonna be the new buzz word, much like "chest pain".