Another tragic and preventable death from Sepsis

JUST ASK, COULD IT BE SEPSIS?

Sepsis is a life-threatening response to any infection that progresses quickly and requires immediate attention. Know the signs and symptoms (one or all of the following may be present).

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF SEPSIS

Rapid breathing

Rapid heart rate

Confusion, slurred speech or disorientation

Fever or shivering

Muscle pain

Not passing urine

Discoloured skin

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO!

Early-stage sepsis:

Sufferers are generally unwell, may display one or all of the signs and symptoms, feel worse than when previously sick and there is concern
Contact healthdirect at https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/ OR Call 1800 022 222 (24 hours) and ask…could it be sepsis?

Later stage sepsis:

Sufferers are seriously unwell, likely to display significant changes in multiple signs and symptoms, feel like they might die and there is serious concern
CALL 000 Ambulance or if quicker go immediately to the closest Emergency Department and ask….could it be sepsis?

Key considerations:

If concerned get advice immediately
If seriously concerned get treatment immediately
Inflammation due to infection is normal but in sepsis the inflammation response is uncontrolled, it may start mildly but rapidly escalate to critical illness
Sepsis is difficult to recognise as it may not have an obvious cause, it can look like viral or bacterial illnesses such as flu, gastro or urinary tract infection
Trust your intuition…if it doesn’t feel right TAKE ACTION and always ask…could it be sepsis?

symptom checker Call 000

Failure to recognise and treat sepsis results in another tragic and preventable death.

Statement by The George Institute for Global Health Australian Sepsis Network.

The Queensland Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) has concluded that ‘systemic failures’ played a role in the tragic death of a young Aboriginal boy named Charlie Izaak Wilfred Gowa, from far north Queensland who was turned away from hospital six times and subsequently died of sepsis Charlies Story

While failure to recognise and treat sepsis has caused preventable deaths and disabilities in people from all walks of life, we know that the burden of severe sepsis falls disproportionately on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

While the need for a broad-based sepsis awareness program for the public and front-line health care workers has been recognised and promoted by the ASN and its partners, it is imperative to consider how this intersects with the wider systemic issue of access to culturally safe care in order to reduce the disproportionate burden for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The George Institute for Global Health and the Australian Sepsis Network support the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan that uses a human rights and social determinants approach and a vision of a health system free of racism and inequality whereby all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have access to health services that are effective, high quality and appropriate.

If we are to reduce the higher incidence of sepsis among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples we must move beyond a strictly biomedical approach to the disease and understand the broader social and cultural determinants of health that lead to such tragedies and system failures.

Charlie’s family have expressed that they want his story to be shared in order to stop further deaths from sepsis and to highlight the need for culturally safe and responsive health care.

Charlie Gowa, six, died from sepsis in January 2017. His mother, Xernona Poi Poi, wants justice for her son.

The Australian Sepsis Network is hosted by The George Institute for Global Health, Australia.

13 Sept 2020 World Sepsis Day WORLD SEPSIS DAY 2020