text: Mother-of-two Anna Tilley survived after spending four days in intensive care with blood poisoning, pictured with her son Harry . Patients’ lives are at risk from blood poisoning because hospitals are not implementing a standard treatment that can double their chances of survival, experts have warned. Sepsis, previously known as septicaemia, affects more than 100,000 Britons a year and kills 37,000 – more than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined. Now a snapshot NHS study reveals that on one surgical ward at a leading teaching hospital, 90 per cent of patients failed to get the correct treatment, involving a simple set of lifesaving measures known as Sepsis Six. After high-profile campaigns in 2013 which exposed the shocking death rates, the method was officially recommended by NHS England. Yet an audit, revealed at the annual president’s meeting of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in March, showed that vital steps in the process are being missed, meaning the condition was more likely to take hold with fatal consequences. The College is now calling for nationwide tracking of the protocol to weed out hospitals that are failing to tackle the problem. Sepsis Six involves blood tests to check for infection; testing the level of lactate, a chemical produced when cells are starved of oxygen; giving oxygen and IV fluids to protect organs and raise dangerously low blood pressure; checking urine hourly to monitor fluid levels and kidney function; and administering antibiotics to clear any underlying infection. The study of 23 patients with sepsis at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary revealed just one in ten had their lactate levels tested. Only 40 per cent were given oxygen, and staff failed to measure urine output in nearly a third of cases. Dr Ron Daniels, chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust who helped devise Sepsis Six, warns that, despite being a small sample, the finding of the study was far from unusual. ‘Sadly this and other studies show patients are not getting access to a treatment that saves lives. Every one of the six steps is vitally important, and nothing should be missed out.’ Some 90 per cent of patients were not given correct treatment to prevent blood poisoning on a surgical ward at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, an NHS study revealed . Sepsis occurs when the immune system overreacts to an infection, causing multiple organ failure if not treated quickly. It can be triggered by an infection in any part of the body, most commonly the lungs, urinary tract, abdomen and pelvis. It is often a problem that develops while in hospital, after surgery. Those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or cancer are at increased risk. Symptoms include slurred speech, muscle pain, mottled or discoloured skin, poor urine output and severe breathlessness. ‘Delays in the identification and treatment of sepsis can have serious consequences for patients,’ says Dr Seng Wong, who carried out the Edinburgh audit. His research also found Sepsis Six awareness improved after a three-month staff training and a poster campaign. More than half of subsequent patients had their lactate measured, 60 per cent were given oxygen and 90 per cent had their urine measured. Mother-of-two Anna Tilley knows only too well the importance of staff awareness. Four days after Anna developed a sore throat, aches and pains and a high temperature, she was hallucinating, had a mottled rash and was struggling to breathe. ‘My parents carried me to the doctor’s and insisted my GP call an ambulance,’ says Anna. ‘At A&E I waited four hours in a side room. Although I had typical symptoms of sepsis, none of the doctors recognised I was dying.’ The 26-year-old from West Sussex says she was just hours from death when a quick-thinking doctor spotted the danger signs. Anna spent four days in intensive care on oxygen and antibiotics after her liver, kidneys and pancreas all failed. ‘I later learned that without treatment, I would have died in my sleep that night,’ Anna adds. ‘Awareness needs to be raised of this awful condition, which takes so many lives.’
target: Experts have warned hospitals not using standard treatment for sepsis .
  Blood poisoning affects more than 100,000 Britons a year and kills 37,000 .
  10% of patients at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary ward given correct treatment .
  Sepsis Six involves blood tests to check for infection and monitoring urine .