END SEPSIS Announces that Sepsis Protocols and Data Reporting is Estimated to Have Saved Over 16,000 Lives

Sepsis is the leading cause of hospital deaths in the United States; New York was the first state to require the adoption of evidence-based protocols for the rapid identification and treatment of sepsis

NEW YORK, April 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- END SEPSIS, the nation's leading sepsis prevention advocacy organization, today announced that the implementation of mandatory sepsis protocols and sepsis data reporting by all acute care hospitals in New York State, it is estimated to have saved more than 16,000 lives between 2015 and 2019.

Sepsis is the number one cause of death in hospitals across the United States. However, sepsis protocols in hospitals have been proven to reduce deaths from sepsis and to lower healthcare costs. New York was the first state to implement mandatory sepsis protocols and has paved the way for other states to follow this model.

The protocol requirements were precipitated by the death of 12-year-old Queens boy, Rory Staunton, from undiagnosed, untreated sepsis in a New York City Hospital in 2012. The regulations are known as Rory's Regulations in honor of Staunton.

"Because of these regulations, there are 16,011 New Yorker families that have been spared the unspeakable pain that we have endured," said Ciaran and Orlaith Staunton, Rory Staunton's parents and the founders of END SEPSIS, the Legacy of Rory Staunton, an organization dedicated to ending preventable deaths from sepsis. "If they had been in place when we brought Rory to the hospital, he would be alive today. Sepsis protocols save lives. The federal government and other states need to follow New York's lead."

"Since the passage of Rory's Regulations, hospitals are now required to adopt important protocols that help with the early detection and treatment of sepsis," State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said. "Sepsis is a serious and potentially life-threatening medical condition - caused by a reaction throughout a person's body in response to an infection - and these efforts played an important role in saving thousands of New Yorkers' lives."

Sepsis Protocols New York State: Rory's Regulations
In 2013, END SEPSIS spearheaded efforts to make New York State the first in the nation to establish a statewide mandate requiring all hospitals to adopt sepsis protocols. The regulations require all acute care hospitals in the state to develop and implement evidence-based protocols designed to improve rapid identification and treatment of sepsis. Protocols must be periodically updated based on newly available evidence and must be submitted to the New York State Department of Health for review upon request.

Under Rory's Regulations, each hospital must adopt a set of protocols that provide for:

• A process for the screening and early recognition of patients with sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock.
• A process to identify and document individuals appropriate for treatment with protocols for severe sepsis and septic shock.
• Guidelines for treatment, including the early delivery of antibiotics.
• Suitable training for healthcare providers for quickly recognizing and treating sepsis in adults and children.
• The reporting of sepsis-related data to the New York State Department of Health for use in evaluation and creation of risk-adjusted mortality rates.

A study published in the American Journal of Respiratory ND Critical Care Medicine, found that in the first 30 months of implementation, sepsis protocols in New York State reduced in hospital mortality for adult sepsis patients by 17 percent." (From 28.8% to 24.4%). Another study published by the JAMA Network indicated that the odds of sepsis mortality for pediatric patients was reduced by 40 percent when protocols were fully implemented.

Former New York State Commissioner of Health Dr. Nirav R. Shah, who was NY State Commissioner of Health at the time the regulations were adopted, recently said the following about the regulations and estimated lives saved, "What Rory taught us is that measuring what matters can make a big difference when it comes to sepsis care. All Americans deserve the sepsis care we have in New York hospitals, and the time is now to take New York's approach across the nation."

END SEPSIS, the Legacy of Rory Staunton, works to end the hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths and devastating disabilities that result from sepsis in the U.S. each year. Through public awareness and education, quality improvement, advocacy and family support, END SEPSIS has successfully spearheaded the most aggressive public battles and cutting-edge, action-based initiatives to keep families safe and end this public health emergency. END SEPSIS envisions a world where everyone understands sepsis as a medical emergency, recognizes its signs, and can confidently advocate for their own care and the care of others and where patients are met in healthcare settings by medical professionals trained to rapidly recognize and treat sepsis. Visit endsepsis.org

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SOURCE END SEPSIS