Sepsis Leading Cause of Death in Hospital Patients

March 1st, 2017

Sepsis, a serious complication of an infection that can lead to organ failure, tissue damage, and death, is the leading cause of death for hospital patients. In addition to its life-threatening potential, a recent analysis led by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System also found that sepsis accounts for considerably more hospital readmissions and associated costs than any of the four medical conditions (heart attack, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pneumonia) tracked by the federal government to measure quality of care.

 

Sachin Yende, MD, MS (Critical Care Medicine and Clinical and Translational Sciences, Pitt School of Medicine; vice president of Critical Care, VA Pittsburgh) and his team analyzed data from the 2013 Nationwide Readmissions Database, which comprises 49 percent of U.S. inpatients, for the four conditions and sepsis. The data revealed that sepsis accounts for 12.2 percent of readmissions, followed by 6.7 percent for heart failure, 5 percent for pneumonia, 4.6 percent for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 1.3 percent for heart attack.

 

“Many people think infections and sepsis are short-term illnesses and that once patients are discharged from the hospital, they are better,” said Dr. Yende, “But all research to date shows that sepsis has serious, lingering consequences, and patients continue to have problems well after they are discharged.”

 

Sepsis also comes at a cost. The estimated average cost per readmission for sepsis was $10,070, compared with $9,533 for pneumonia, $9,424 for heart attack, $9,051 for heart failure, and $8,417 for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

 

The findings highlight the need for coordinated efforts to develop new medical interventions aimed at improving sepsis outcomes and reducing readmissions.