The Sepsis Trust estimates that 44,000 people in the UK die every year from sepsis. However, exactly where these estimates come from, and how reliable they are is unclear. “Sepsis” is generally used to mean an infection of the blood – where bugs get into the blood and cause high temperature, low pulse, low blood pressure and changes in blood chemicals. However different illnesses can cause similar symptoms, making it difficult to identify.
We want to study patients who die after having contact with hospitals in Oxfordshire. We want to work out what percentage of them have evidence that they may have suffered from sepsis. We will do this by looking at their most recent measurements of temperature, pulse, heart rate, blood test results, and whether or not they received antibiotics.