Sepsis is a silent killer - be vigilant and know the signs

AS World Sepsis Day was marked this week, the family of a boy with Mayo roots who died as a result of not being diagnosed in hospital continues to be at the forefront of raising awareness and preventing further avoidable deaths.

September 13 was made National Sepsis Day in the US in honour of Rory Staunton from New York who died from sepsis, aged 12, in 2012. Rory died in hospital in New York four days after scraping his arm while playing basketball at school.

His parents, Ciaran, from Louisburgh, and Orlaith, who hails from Louth, established End Sepsis: The Rory Staunton Foundation to improve standards in medical care, raise awareness among the public, and save lives.

They want to make sure such a tragedy can never happen again.

Ciaran and Orlaith have made and continue to make significant strides - 'Rory's Regulations' are credited with saving 20,000 lives. Their latest event was to host the national forum on sepsis in Washington yesterday.

(Find out more about sepsis and the Foundation at https://www.endsepsis.org/).

Closer to home, the Saolta Hospital Group, which includes Mayo University Hospital, has also urged people to be aware of how serious this silent killer is.

Moninne Bradley, from Killygordon in Co. Donegal, shared her story of how she was left fighting for her life last year as the result of the rapid spread of sepsis. Had it not been for the quick actions of her sister, nurse Orla Noonan, she would not have survived.

In the weeks leading up to her collapse, Moninne had been fighting an infection and had taken a course of antibiotics and steroids. When she later developed spots on her throat, she believed it was a side-effect of the antibiotics. She returned to her GP and started a course of tablets to treat thrush.

On the day before her hospitalisation, Moninne went to work as usual. Still concerned about a swelling that appeared on her neck, she intended to return to her GP as a precaution the following day. But at 9 p.m. that night she took very ill and spent the night vomiting.

Sister Orla, a nurse in Letterkenny University Hospital, despite her years of experience, she was left stunned by the sudden and rapid deterioration Moninne experienced.

“I saw her at 6.30 and she was standing in my kitchen talking. She was a little concerned about the lump on her neck but there was absolutely nothing alarming.

“I couldn’t believe when I saw her the following morning when I came off night duty. I got the shock of my life. She had gone downhill so quickly. She was agitated, shaking, and exhausted. She was a terrible colour. As a nurse, I have regularly checked blood pressures, but she was too agitated to accurately record.”

Moninne was rushed to LUH where she was treated for sepsis in ED and transferred to ICU. The following day she was transferred to UHG where her condition continued to deteriorate.

Moninne went into renal failure and lost the tips of her fingers on one hand. However, after 14 days in ICU, she began to slowly recover.

“I’m still in recovery but I’m getting there. I want to make sure other families have the knowledge when it comes to sepsis,” she said.

Siobhan Kelly, sepsis lead at Letterkenny University Hospital, said: “Sepsis is a common, time-dependent medical emergency which can affect a person of any age, from any social background and can strike irrespective of underlying good health or medical conditions. However, early recognition and timely referral to critical care can have a major impact and this is the message we want to get out.”

Added Paul Hooton, chief director of nursing, Saolta Hospital Group: “Sepsis is a silent killer. This serious condition can very quickly lead to multi organ failure and often death. However, prompt recognition of the condition and treatment will save lives.

“I urge all of you to familiarise yourself with the signs and symptoms of sepsis and never hesitate to call for help if you are worried.”

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by an infection that affects the organs and kills one in five people who develop it. Over 13,000 patients received treatment for sepsis in Irish hospitals in 2021.

If you have an infection, know the signs of sepsis. It’s important to get treatment early if you need it.

More information on sepsis can be found at https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/sepsis/.