Becker's Hospital Review

100 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Low-cost device can detect sepsis in under 3 minutes, researchers say By Mackenzie Bean R esearchers in the U.K. cre- ated a test that can de- tect sepsis in as little as 2.5 minutes, according to re- search published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics. The experimental electrode de- vice tests for interleukin-6, a bio- marker of sepsis, in blood sam- ples. The device can also detect what type of infection a patient has and recommend the most appropriate antibiotic treatment. "The implications for this are mas- sive, and the ability to give the right antibiotic at the right time to the right patient is extraordinary," study author Dr. David Alcorn of the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Scotland told CNN. Researchers have applied for re- search funding and plan to con- duct clinical trials of the device, which costs $26 to produce. n Physician viewpoint: Why are we still using stethoscopes? By Mackenzie Bean T he stethoscope — invented in 1816 — is long overdue for a redesign, according to Davin- der Ramsingh, MD, an anesthesiolo- gist at Loma Linda (Calif.) University Medical Center. "Now, just over 200 years later, it is in- credible to think that this technology has not been reinvented — especial- ly when you compare the advances humankind has made in other areas," he wrote in a blog post on Loma Linda's website. Diagnostic technologies have un- dergone significant advancements in the medical world, but physicians still use stethoscopes as the primary tool for physical exams, despite their "widely known inaccuracies," Dr. Ramsingh noted. He said point-of-care ultrasound could prove a more effective alter- native to stethoscopes for physical exams. Clinicians have primarily ad- opted POCUS for use in emergency department settings, but Dr. Rams- ingh said the technology is starting to emerge in other care settings. n 48% of physicians say stricter requirements needed to boost vaccination rates By Mackenzie Bean N early half of physicians say strict- er vaccine requirements are the most effective way to boost im- munization rates, according to SERMO data emailed to Becker's. For the poll, SERMO asked 194 physi- cians to share their thoughts on vaccine requirements between Feb. 11-21. Three survey findings: 1. Ninety-four percent of physicians said parents/guardians should be required to vaccinate their healthy children against diseases like mumps, measles, rubella and polio. 2. Ninety percent of physicians also said children should be prohibited from school or daycare activities if they are not vaccinated. 3. Physicians cited stricter vaccine re- quirements as the best way to address low vaccination rates (48 percent), fol- lowed by boosting vaccine education (31 percent), creating an immunization regis- try (15 percent) and offering free vaccines to school-age children (6 percent). n Only half of EMS workers confident in detecting sepsis, survey finds By Megan Knowles O nly 52 percent of more than 1,300 emergency medical services practi- tioners surveyed said they are very confident in their ability to recognize the signs and symptoms of sepsis, a recent survey found. e survey, which was released by the Sep- sis Alliance and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, was conducted from Jan. 17-29. EMS practitioners transport more than half of all sepsis cases to hospital emergency de- partments. Despite the prevalence of sepsis, one in five EMS practitioners said their or- ganization does not have a sepsis-specific protocol, and about one in three said their organization is not well prepared to address a patient with sepsis. Even when patients show signs of sepsis, 58 percent of respondents said not all hospitals initiate a sepsis protocol. One in four respon- dents said physicians are reluctant to diag- nose patients with the potentially fatal con- dition. Many of the signs and symptoms of sepsis, such as fever and difficulty breathing, are the same as in other conditions, making sepsis hard to diagnose in its early stages, ac- cording to the CDC. "ese survey results highlight the vital need for increased sepsis education and awareness among first responders, their in-hospital counterparts, and the general public," said omas Heymann, president and executive director of the Sepsis Alliance. n

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