This risk is huge for sick children who need to have a plastic tube inserted into a large vein in their chest (central venous catheter) to help carry nutrients and medicine into their body.  The tube is also used to take blood when they need to have blood tests.  But there could be a way of reducing this risk.

Research shows coating tubes in antibiotics could reduce infection

The UCL Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital recently carried out a study of 1485  on 14 intensive care units across the UK. The research, published in The Lancet, found that, whilst mortality rates were not affected, there was a significant impact upon the numbers of infection (fewer children developed infections) in intensive care when the central venous catheters were coated in antibiotics.

Similar research has previously been carried out in adults and trials of these catheters in adult patients in intensive care showed that infections were reduced by 70-80%.

Lead author of the study, Ruth Gilbert, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the UCL Institute of Child Health says of her recent study: “Our results suggest that adoption of antibiotic coated catheters across the NHS could reduce numbers of children with bloodstream infection and be beneficial to both individual patients and the NHS as a whole.”

Sepsis symptoms

Sepsis can start in different parts of the body, therefore the signs and symptoms presented will vary depending upon the where the infection develops.

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) explains:

There is no single sign or symptom of sepsis. It is, rather, a combination of symptoms. Since sepsis is the result of an infection, symptoms can include infection signs (diarrhea, vomiting, sore throat, etc.), as well as ANY of the symptoms below:

• S—Shivering, fever, or very cold
• E—Extreme pain or general discomfort (“worst ever”)
• P—Pale or discolored skin
• S—Sleepy, difficult to rouse, confused
• I—”I feel like I might die”
• S—Short of breath

NHS UK offers this advice:

See your GP immediately or call NHS 111 if you’ve recently had an infection or injury and you have possible early signs of sepsis.

Severe sepsis and septic shock are medical emergencies. If you think that you or someone in your care has one of these conditions, call 999 and ask for an ambulance

How can Graysons help?

Many people make a full recovery from sepsis but there are those that unfortunately suffer life-changing, permanent complications such as amputations, recurring infections that last for many years and require multiple surgical procedures.

Here at Graysons we recognise the devastating, and in some cases fatal, effect that a delayed diagnosis of sepsis can have. We understand the importance of compensation to you as it can greatly improve quality of life for you and your family and provide the care and security that is needed.

If you would like to talk to a member of our specialist team then please contact us for a confidential and free discussion today.

You can contact the UK Sepsis Trust for further information or support.

You can read more about claiming compensation for hospital infections on our web pages.