‘Risk profile’ for sepsis deaths

Scientists have created a simple way of identifying heart failure patients who are at greatest risk of dying from sepsis.

Nearly one in four deaths in patients with heart failure are caused by sepsis, but researchers at the University of Leeds said they had found a test that could identify patients who were most at risk.

They found several distinct markers that flagged higher risk of death from sepsis specifically, rather than progressively worsening heart failure or sudden cardiac arrest.

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

Researchers then used this data to create a “risk profile”, which could be used to flag those patients at highest risk of dying from sepsis.