Size of sepsis in Wales
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Size of sepsis in Wales
IRAS ID
174768
Contact name
Tamas Szakmany
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Sepsis is a systemic response to infection, which causes a potentially damaging inflammatory response. Severe sepsis is defined as sepsis leading to the dysfunction of one or more organ systems. Successful management of sepsis requires prompt recognition and immediate response with appropriate escalation of care to Critical Care if required.
In the UK sepsis is estimated to be responsible for the deaths of 37,000 people every year and to cost the NHS £2.5 billion and for Wales this could equate to a figure of 1800 deaths and a cost of £125 million. However, accurate data collection in the non-Critical Care setting is still under development in Wales and it is thought that the real number will be far higher. A patient with sepsis is five times more likely to die than a patient who has suffered a heart attack or stroke. It is imperative that we understand the size of the problem within Wales so that we can improve the quality of care our patients receive. It is proposed that we look at how many patients have sepsis across the 15 acute hospitals in Wales in one day. We will survey all patients admitted to the acute hospitals to find out this number and we will collect data on their clinical conditions, the impact of sepsis on their quality of life and outcome. We will also have a look if a simple bundle called 'Sepsis 6' is administered to these patients. The study will involve collection of anonymised clinical data and patients will be invited to fill out a short health related quality of life questionnaire once discharged from the hospital.REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/WM/0095
Date of REC Opinion
7 Apr 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion