Quicker detection and treatment of severe sepsis

May 23, 2011 in Medical research

Sepsis is the name of an infection that causes a series of reactions in the body, which in the worst case can prove fatal. The problem for both patients and doctors is that the early symptoms are difficult to distinguish from less dangerous infections such as a severe flu or winter vomiting disease. A researcher at Lund University in Sweden has now discovered a substance in the blood which shows both whether a patient has sepsis and how serious the case is.

"Approximately one in five patients with who are admitted to hospital are at risk of developing severe sepsis within the first 24 hours. If the doctor doesn't immediately understand that the patient is seriously ill, the risk is that he or she does not receive adequate treatment. The patient could also end up on a ward with lower staffing levels and thus less close supervision", says doctor and researcher Adam Linder.

In sepsis (formerly called blood poisoning), the immune system overreacts to an infection, which triggers a series of events in the body. Among other things, the blood vessels begin to leak, resulting in a fall in blood pressure that eventually damages the kidneys, heart and brain. Sepsis is the tenth most common cause of death in the world, and the most common cause of death among already weak patients in hospital intensive care units.

Sepsis is treated with antibiotics, fluids and oxygen. But first, the patients must be diagnosed with sepsis, yet the markers used do not always give a correct diagnosis. Adam Linder has found a better in protein HBP (heparin-binding protein). This is released by a certain type of white blood cell in amounts which correspond to the immune system's reaction: the greater the – and thus the risk of sepsis – the greater the amount of HBP in the blood of a patient.

Measurements of HBP can also be used in connection with meningitis. There are two forms of the disease, bacterial meningitis and viral meningitis. Again, it is important to get a quick and accurate diagnosis in order to reduce the risk of complications and death. The amount of HBP in a patient's spinal fluid has been shown to provide a more accurate diagnosis than the methods currently used.

However, for HBP measurements to be used successfully in hospitals it must be possible to perform the analysis quickly.

"I analysed my samples in the lab, which took six hours. A doctor in an accident and emergency department cannot wait that long. The time must be reduced to no more than one hour", says Adam Linder.

Hansa Medical, a company in Lund, is currently developing patented methods to quickly analyse HBP in connection with both meningitis and sepsis.

Provided by Lund University

5 /5 (1 vote)  

Rank 5 /5 (1 vote)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Computational tool translates complex data into simplified 2-dimensional images

In their quest to learn more about the variability of cells between and within tissues, biomedical scientists have devised tools capable of simultaneously measuring dozens of characteristics of individual ...

Medical research created 11 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Now we know why old scizophrenia medicine works on antibiotics-resistant bacteria

In 2008 researchers from the University of Southern Denmark showed that the drug thioridazine, which has previously been used to treat schizophrenia, is also a powerful weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as ...

Medical research created May 17, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

SUMO wrestling cells reveal new protective mechanism target for stroke

Scientists investigating the interaction of a group of proteins in the brain responsible for protecting nerve cells from damage have identified a new target that could increase cell survival.

Medical research created May 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

How serotonin receptors can shape drug effects, from LSD to migraine medication

New findings by researchers carrying out experiments at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science's Advanced Photon Source (APS) help explain why some drugs that interact with two kinds of human serotonin ...

Medical research created May 17, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Preventing blood poisoning

Peptide molecules derived from the body's natural immune system can help boost the body's defence against life-threatening blood poisoning, joint University research has uncovered.

Medical research created May 17, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Researchers identify a potential new risk for sleep apnea: Asthma

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have identified a potential new risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea: asthma. Using data from the National Institutes of Health (Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)-funded Wisconsin ...

New theory on genesis of osteoarthritis comes with successful therapy in mice

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have turned their view of osteoarthritis (OA) inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, ...

Study finds that sleep apnea and Alzheimer's are linked

A new study looking at sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and markers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neuroimaging adds to the growing body of research linking the two.

'Gap' for HIV vaccine efforts after latest setback

The hunt for an HIV vaccine has gobbled up $8 billion in the past decade, and the failure of the most recent efficacy trial has delivered yet another setback to 26 years of efforts.

Ginger compounds may be effective in treating asthma symptoms

Gourmands and foodies everywhere have long recognized ginger as a great way to add a little peppery zing to both sweet and savory dishes; now, a study from researchers at Columbia University shows purified components of the ...

Ketamine shows significant therapeutic benefit in people with treatment-resistant depression

Patients with treatment-resistant major depression saw dramatic improvement in their illness after treatment with ketamine, an anesthetic, according to the largest ketamine clinical trial to-date led by researchers from the ...