A research group is calling for improvement in the treatment of sepsis or infections in hospitals.
Research group member and departmental head Dr. Marjut Varpula said that rapid action by Intensive Care Units (ICUs) makes all the difference in helping patients battle the infection.
The Finland-based research group Finsepsis says that in 50 percent of cases of severe sepsis, antibiotic treatment begins too late. However, there is information to suggest that rapid treatment with antibiotics noticeably improves the patient's chances of overcoming shock caused by infection.
One third of patients survive for up to a year after falling ill, in cases where the first dose of antibiotics is administered more than three hours after receiving first aid treatment. When antibiotics are administered sooner, the figure rises to 70 percent.
Sepsis is a bacterial, life threatening infection, in which bacteria spread to the patient's organs via blood circulation. Each year roughly 7,000 cases are diagnosed, half of which occur in hospitals. YLE
