When Seconds Count: Identifying and Treating Sepsis

If you’ve heard the word sepsis and have ignored it — or don’t know what it is or why it matters — you are not alone. Nearly half of Americans have never heard of the condition and more than a third cannot identify all of the symptoms.

In a nutshell, sepsis is the body’s faulty, drastic reaction to an infection. This often leads to tissue damage, organ failure, and even death. It is most dangerous in young children and the elderly as well as those with a weakened immune system or chronic illness.

“Sepsis is now the most expensive in-hospital condition in America. In fact, it is responsible for more deaths in America than AIDS, prostate cancer and breast cancer combined,” said Philip Efron, M.D., co-director of Laboratory of Inflammation Biology and Surgical Science and part of the UF Sepsis and Critical Illness Research Center.

Learn more about When Seconds Count: Identifying and Treating Sepsis.