Avoiding Sepsis In Hospitals

KYW's Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Sepsis is a major cause of death in patients.

It is an overwhelming infection that can be deadly once it takes hold and for physicians who treat patients in the hospital it is a major concern.

A report in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that early treatment to fight infection is key.

Earlier administration of antibiotics was associated with lower in-hospital death rates among patients with suspected sepsis treated in New York State emergency departments.

This followed the adoption of statewide hospital mandates known as "Rory's Regulations."

The first-in-the-nation regulations requiring the early assessment and treatment of sepsis in the hospital emergency department setting were implemented in 2013, following the death of 12-year-old Rory Staunton from sepsis, undiagnosed in a hospital emergency department until it was too late to save him.