Sepsis is a serious medical condition striking more than a million Americans every year. It happens when the body over-reacts to an infection causing blood clots, leaky blood vessels, and organ damage. As many as 30 percent of the people who get it die. But a hospital in Texas has teamed up with a local fire department to identify and treat sepsis in the field. Lives are being saved, and other communities are watching.
Seventy-eight-year-old Joyce Shore had been unable to move off of her couch for four days. Finally, emergency help was summoned. When paramedics arrived, they suspected septic shock and responded with brand new measures, which likely saved Shore’s life. “I wouldn’t be here today, if it wasn’t for them,” Shore said.
Dorie Murray, RN at Medical City North Hills said: “Nationwide, it’s a problem with mortality and a lot of people dying from it every day.”