Test to spot patients at high risk of dying from sepsis

SCIENTISTS claim they have developed a simple way of identifying heart failure patients at the greatest risk of dying from sepsis.

Nearly one in four deaths in patients with heart failure are caused by sepsis, rather than worsening heart problems or sudden cardiac arrest.

Sepsis, which is sometimes called blood poisoning, occurs when the immune system goes into overdrive in response to an infection and starts attacking the body’s own cells, causing damage to vital organs. It can take hold quickly, and without rapid treatment it can lead to multiple organ failure and death.

The Daily Mail has been campaigning to raise awareness of sepsis, which is difficult to diagnose until it has spread through the body. It is the leading cause of avoidable deaths in Britain, killing at least 44,000 people every year.

And now researchers at the University of Leeds said they have found several distinct markers which flagged heart failure patients with higher risk of death from sepsis that could be used by doctors to create a ‘risk profile’.

Lead author Professor Richard Cubbon said: ‘With our risk profile, we hope people at high risk of sepsis will receive better monitoring, and infections which could lead to sepsis are treated early.’

They found that blood samples from high-risk patients contained lower levels of vitamin D and higher counts of platelets – cells which help blood clot. Those at high risk were also older, more likely to have chronic lung disease and be male.

Researchers suggested their test could become part of a routine check when patients visit their doctor after being diagnosed with heart failure, which could be years before their risk of developing sepsis actually occurs.

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation which funded the study, said: ‘Despite modern treatments, people with heart failure have a prognosis that is worse than many cancers, with two out of five people dying within four years.

‘We also now know that particular characteristics of the patients, some of which may be correctable, makes them more prone to developing sepsis.

‘Further research is necessary but this study highlights important ways we may be able to improve the outlook of patients with heart failure.’