Sepsis is the Leading Cause of Death In Critical Care Patients

Written by Adam Peck Category: Catastrophic Injury April 1st, 2013 2 min read

Sepsis is the Leading Cause of Death In Critical Care Patients

Sepsis, also known as blood poisoning is the number one cause of death among critical care patients in the US, killing more than 200,000 people annually. However, a radical new treatment option could transform the way we treat sepsis and save thousands of lives every year.

Sepsis is the result of your immune system overreacting to blood-borne pathogens causing widespread inflammation, vessel leakage, which can lead to multiple-organ shutdown, shock and sometimes death. Even those who live through the ordeal are often left hobbled by amputations or damaged organs.

The normal response against sepsis is the administration of wide-ranging antibiotics to help fight the infection while stabilizing the patient’s blood pressure, performing mechanical ventilation or dialysis as needed. The system developed by The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, on the other hand, physically traps and removes pathogens using nanotechnology.

The system was recently awarded a $US9.25 million grant from DARPA to further spur its development and works much like the spleen, helping filter dead cells and pathogens from the blood supply. You can live without the spleen, sure, but it plays an important role in managing your body’s supply of red blood cells and available iron as well as maintaining a reserve of monocytes, which help quell infections and grow into macrophages.

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Written by Adam Peck

Expertise: Personal Injury

Adam J. Peck, ESQ is a principal with Peck Law Group, APC. In 2008, Mr. Adam Peck received his Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School where he graduated Cum Laude. His practice is primarily dedicated to representing Elders, Dependent Adults, along with their loved ones and family members, who have suffered horrific personal injuries.