Sepsis deaths prompt Allina Health to change

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Dr. Sandy Fritzlar

[Star Tribune, March 04, 2019] Faster identification and treatment of sepsis by Allina Health hospitals in Minnesota has reduced deaths from the infection-related condition.

Doctors and nurses at Allina started re-examining how they treat sepsis in 2014, after being dismayed at the number of deaths and learning that the condition was three times more lethal than strokes and heart attacks.

“Most people don’t realize that,” said Dr. Sandy Fritzlar, an ER doctor and medical director of Allina’s sepsis program.

They found that too many cases weren’t being detected quickly, because symptoms such as dizziness, elevated pulse and confusion are common to other conditions. And they found avoidable delays in two keys to sepsis treatment — fluid replacement to restore failing organs and antibiotics to fight underlying infections. Read the full story online at www.startribune.com.

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