NHS will use devices such as mobile phone apps, watches or bracelets to detect early signs of sepsis after hospital discharge. Medics say the wearable tech will be lifesaving as for every hour of delayed sepsis treatment
Patients on the NHS will be given sepsis sensors to prevent 1,000 deaths a year.
Early signs of the life threatening response to an infection could be detected by the NHS using new mobile phone apps, watches or bracelets. The devices will check patients vital signs after hospital discharge and automatically flag that a person’s condition has deteriorated and they need to be tested for sepsis.
Medics say the wearable tech will be lifesaving as for every hour of delayed sepsis treatment, the risk of death increases by up to 8%. Professor Ramani Moonesinghe, NHS England’s Deputy Medical Director, said: “Every year, sepsis causes tens of thousands of deaths, and leaves thousands more with long-term disabilities, so it’s vital the NHS has an ambitious plan to reduce this harm over the next decade.
“Key to tackling sepsis is catching it early – the longer sepsis goes undetected the less chance a person has to survive or make a full recovery. That’s why the NHS will be trialling new wearable devices that will allow people’s vital signs to be monitored at home.
“It is vital that everyone is aware of the signs of sepsis which can include difficulty breathing, a dramatic change in temperature, or not peeing for a time – so please do not hesitate calling 999 immediately if you or someone you know has these symptoms.”
The UK Sepsis Trust estimates some 48,000 deaths each year in the UK have sepsis as a factor. Sepsis directly causes 4,000 deaths a year in England and NHS bosses believe a quarter of these can be prevented through better care.
Sepsis most commonly develops from a bacterial infection, with symptoms in adults including confusion or slurred speech, uncontrollable shivering, muscle pain and difficulty breathing. People may also have blue, pale, grey or blotchy skin, lips or tongue, and a high or low temperature, plus lack of urine.
Babies and children may have difficulty breathing or breathe very fast, have high or low temperatures, blotchy skin or a rash. They may be very sleepy, are not urinating and could be vomiting.
Minister for patient safety, Preet Gill, said: “Sepsis is a devastating and sometimes fatal condition. Behind every case is a patient and a family, and we have heard too many heartbreaking examples where signs of deterioration were not recognised quickly enough.
“Families who have turned unimaginable loss into action have helped drive a fundamental change in how we think about patient safety, ensuring patients and loved ones are listened to, concerns are acted on, and the NHS learns when things go wrong.”
Some hospitals already have begun giving wearable tech to inpatients at risk of sepsis to detect the deadly infection.
Cancer patients receiving CAR T cell therapy treatment at University College London Hospitals wear a device on their chest which measures heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature – known risk factors for sepsis and cytokine release syndrome (CRS) as part of a clinical trial.
The wearable tech plan comes as part of a ‘Modern Service Framework’ plan for sepsis published today to improve patient outcomes for the condition.
Dr Ron Daniels, founder of the UK Sepsis Trust, said the document “marks significant progress for patient safety and takes an essential step towards saving more lives from sepsis and improving outcomes for survivors”.
Visit nhs.uk/sepsis for more information about sepsis and its early warning signs.
