Monitoring device hoped to pick up sepsis earlier

The Leicester University team hope their study will lead to improved care of patients with sepsis in the future and ultimately to save lives.

In some countries sepsis patients are treated by placing a thin catheter into a blood vessel close to the heart, but this procedure is not without risk to the patient and is impractical for most UK A&E departments, the Leicester researchers said.

Their project is looking at a safe alternative approach in assessing and managing patients with sepsis at the earliest stage through the use of a special monitoring device, called a Thoracic Electrical Bioimpedance monitor, which provides more information about how well the patient’s heart is working.

Chris Vorwerk, a postgraduate student working on the project, said: ‘Having seen many people dying from sepsis during my career as a doctor, it was my ambition to look into new ways of identifying and treating these patients at an early stage.’

The research plan is being presented this week at the Festival of Postgraduate Research at Leicester University.

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