Category: Sepsis

Clean Hands May Have Saved My Son’s Life

Describe what the image is intended to communicate—not what it looks like

As both a mom and preschool teacher, I have said “wash your hands” more times than I can imagine. Before my newborn son died in a hospital, I never imagined I needed to say it to a doctor. But if all healthcare personnel always used proper hand hygiene in my son’s care, sepsis may not Read More >

Posted on by Mary Ellen Mannix4 CommentsTags

Sepsis Opportunities: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dr. Runa Gokhale and Dr. Raymund Dantes

Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It is a life-threatening medical emergency. Sepsis happens when an infection you already have triggers a chain reaction throughout your body. Infections that lead to sepsis most often start in the lung, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract. Without timely treatment, sepsis can rapidly lead to Read More >

Posted on by Runa Gokhale, MD, MPH, and Raymund Dantes, MD, MPH5 CommentsTags , , , , , , , , ,

Sepsis Awareness Month: Why Sepsis Awareness Is More Important Than Ever

Dr. Denise Cardo

Denise Cardo, MD, Former Director, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention In these unprecedented times, Sepsis Awareness Month is a moment for us to reflect on and recommit to focusing on the needs of the patient. Sepsis is the body’s Read More >

Posted on by CDC's Safe Healthcare Blog30 Comments

Sepsis Awareness Month: Why Each Person Matters

Dr. Denise Cardo

Denise Cardo, MD, Former Director of CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that affects at least 1.7 million adults in the United States each year and causes nearly 270,000 deaths. This is too many Read More >

Posted on by CDC's Safe Healthcare Blog12 Comments

When Prescribed Incorrectly, Lifesaving Antibiotics Can Be Dangerous, Carry Real Risks

Rachel Brummert, B.S., M.S., President of Patient Safety Impact In 2006, my doctor prescribed me Levaquin—a fluoroquinolone antibiotic—for a suspected sinus infection. A few weeks later, I ruptured my Achilles tendon while walking across a parking lot to my car. Since that time, I have suffered 24 tendon ruptures, each of which required extensive reconstructive Read More >

Posted on by CDC's Safe Healthcare Blog11 Comments