Welsh Developed Kit to Tackle 44,000 Sepsis Deaths a Year

A British team behind the development of a new clinical pack designed to improve early diagnosis and treatment of sepsis, has revealed that it is undergoing trials and is being reviewed by many UK Health Trusts.

The announcement comes after the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence issued guidance urging medics to treat suspected sepsis in patients as an emergency in the same way as heart attacks.

With figures from the UK Sepsis Trust of 150,000 cases of sepsis a year resulting in 44,000 deaths, a newly developed single-use SepsisBox, is now on trial in hospitals governed by the Cwm Taf University Health Board in Wales.

The UK Sepsis Trust estimates that 10,000 lives could be saved each year by reaching a position where basic standards of care are delivered to 80% of patients.

SepsisBox was developed to improve clinical care by a team from Rocialle, Welsh manufacturer of sterile procedure packs, Public Health Wales 1000 Lives Improvement Service and Cwm Taf University Health Board.

Based on an advent calendar format, each box contains all elements of the Sepsis Six care bundle used in increasing numbers of hospitals to  facilitate the appropriate response to sepsis within the all-important first hour.

The Sepsis Six care bundle encompasses giving oxygen to maintain saturation, taking urine samples and commencing accurate measurement of urine output, taking blood cultures, considering source control, measuring serum lactate and sending full blood count, inserting an IV cannula and administering antibiotics, and starting intravenous fluid resuscitation.

SepsisBox is a development of the Sepsis Response Bag pioneered by Chris Hancock of the Public Health Wales 1000 Lives and Andrew Hermon, Senior Nurse, Critical Care at Cwm Taf University Health Board.

Although found to improve the rapidity of patient treatment, the Sepsis Response Bag required replenishing of items, causing efficiency issues and would often only be used by specialist members of the Outreach Team which not every Health Trust operates on a 24/7 basis.

Stephen Burt, Managing Director of Rocialle said: “The beauty of  SepsisBox is that it allows treatment to be initiated  by ward nurses rather than specialist response teams, thus minimising sepsis treatment delays. We are in advanced discussions with Health Trusts throughout the UK and looking to its wide scale implementation.

We are very excited to be part of a team that is tackling Sepsis which is responsible for 13% of hospital deaths in Wales and in the UK as a whole for more deaths each year than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined.”

The Sepsis Box has six compartments containing the items required for performing the Sepsis Six care bundle. It has been designed with clear, simple markings guiding the user to perform each treatment stage in the correct order.

Andrew Hermon said: “Sepsis Six is conducted in response to an emergency. We wanted the items to be presented to the user in the order in which they are required, and the user to be intuitively led along the Sepsis Six pathway.

This would give confidence in performing Sepsis Six to the nurse who is already with the patient and able to provide the quickest, most effective response.”

Anne Evans, the Product Manager who dreamed up the concept of the single-use SepsisBox said: “The advent calendar format was perfect for SepsisBox, ensuring that the required items are easy to locate and always at hand.

In guiding the user through the Sepsis Six pathway, it gives a nurse confidence to perform these vital procedures at the earliest opportunity, rather than having to wait for a member of the Outreach Team.”