Well-put Karin. It is important not to loose the forest in the trees, so to speak. I have been advocating for a restructuring of our thought process in the care of patients with "just a virus".
Sepsis is the human response to infection, regardless of etiology, which includes specifically viral, fungal, and parasitic in addition to bacterial. CDC reports Influenza-associated deaths in the US were 40,000 in 2006 and 15000 in 2007. Identifying acute organ dysfunction and/or elevated lactate in the context of systemic infection, regardless if cause, is a patient population who needs further care. This is a great challenge though, as evidenced by this conversation, and represents a change in our approach to patients with sepsis. Ryan Ryan Arnold Copper University Hospital On Dec 14, 2012, at 8:48 AM, "Karin" <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Flu kills more people per year than MVCs, so warrant labs and lactate. Elevated lactate regardless of cause associated with increased mortality. Karin Sent from my iPhone On Dec 13, 2012, at 6:28 AM, Sue Beswick <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: There are some concerns that we will be doing extra/unnecessary testing (blood culture, Lactate, etc) with all of the flu patients who have a temp and increased heart rate during the flu season. Do any of your facilities, modify your sepsis screen in ED for flu? Do you look at the known or suspected infection and say probable flu so does not meet sepsis screen? Thanks Sue Sue Beswick RN, MS, CCNS, CCRN Clinical Nurse Specialist - MSICU Greenville Hosptial System University Medical Center Greenville, SC Office: 864-455-4884 AACN Theme "Dare To" What are you going to dare to do this year? _______________________________________________ Sepsisgroups mailing list [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://lists.sepsisgroups.org/listinfo.cgi/sepsisgroups-sepsisgroups.org _______________________________________________ Sepsisgroups mailing list [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://lists.sepsisgroups.org/listinfo.cgi/sepsisgroups-sepsisgroups.org **************************************************************** This communication, including attachments, may contain information that is confidential. It constitutes non-public information intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s). If the reader or recipient of this communication is not the intended recipient, employee, or agent of the intended recipient who is responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, or you believe that you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail or telephone and promptly delete this e-mail, including attachments without reading them or saving them in any manner. The unauthorized use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this e-mail, including attachments, is prohibited and may be unlawful. _______________________________________________ Sepsisgroups mailing list [email protected] http://lists.sepsisgroups.org/listinfo.cgi/sepsisgroups-sepsisgroups.org
