Las Cruces, NM (1888PressRelease)
October 26, 2006 - The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine was awarded an $8.4 million, five-year grant to lead a study to develop treatments of sepsis, a life-threatening illness caused by bacterial infection that can originate anywhere in the body.
The grant was awarded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health.
Sepsis is among the top causes of death in the United States, affecting 750,000 Americans each year, of which 30 percent die. It also is one of the most expensive diseases, with a cost to U.S. hospitals of $17 billion each year.
The Protocolized Care for Early Septic Shock (ProCESS) study will attempt to determine if there is a "golden hour" in the management of sepsis and septic shock when a prompt, rigorous, standardized treatment regimen can be used to improve clinical outcomes and halt the cascade of events that often lead to organ failure and death. The study takes a cue from the realm of coronary care, which has significantly reduced mortality from acute coronary diseases and dramatically reduced the costs of care by determining such best practices.
The trial to be conducted at several leading hospitals around the country, will enroll up to 2,000 participants who present to the emergency department with septic shock. Participants will be randomized to receive alternative treatment protocols involving intravenous fluids, drugs that reverse the shock and hemodynamic monitoring during the first six hours of care.
The protocols will be evaluated on three measures: clinical effectiveness as evidenced by improved mortality rates; effectiveness in reducing concentrations of biological markers that are associated with the four fundamental pathways of sepsis-related organ dysfunction – cellular hypoxia, oxidative stress, inflammation and coagulation/thrombosis; and cost effectiveness.
Collaborations with experts in the field of emergency medicine is critical. The researchers note that getting septic patients the correct care the moment they enter the hospital is essential to the success of the treatment.
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