The death of a young mother from sepsis in BBC radio drama The Archers has prompted an outpouring of shock and emotion.
The character of Nic Grundy developed sepsis after accidentally cutting her arm on a rusty nail, and died only days later.
The charity, UK Sepsis Trust, worked with scriptwriters in the weeks leading up to Nic’s death, saying her story was ‘all too familiar’.
Sepsis kills 44,000 people every year in the UK – more than bowel, breast and prostate cancer put together, the UK Sepsis Trust says.
It says better awareness could save 14,000 of those lives annually.
Sepsis can happen as a result of any infection, from something as simple as a contaminated cut or scrape to urinary infections and lung infections.
What makes it life-threatening is the body’s over-reaction to an infection which has spread quickly – it then attacks its own organs and tissues causing them to stop working.
If it is caught early, it can be treated but sepsis is often initially mistaken for flu or a chest infection.
In a welcome development last year, hospital patients displaying signs of life-threatening sepsis must now be seen by a senior doctor within an hour, under new guidelines set out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Those classed as high risk must also receive intravenous fluids and antibiotics.
The new guidance states that clinicians in any setting, but specifically accident and emergency departments or GP practices, should check patients presenting with suspected sepsis for specific signs that determine whether their symptoms are life-threatening.
As a medical negligence solicitor, I have seen first-hand the irreversible damage sepsis can cause.
I am currently pursuing a successful case for a young girl, who lost her legs after her father was twice turned away from hospital. Eventually admitted to hospital on the third visit, by this time she was suffering from septicaemic shock and multiple organ failure, and it was too late for doctors to save her legs. Her left leg had to be removed above the knee, while her right leg was amputated below the knee.
The girl, now aged nine, successfully sued the hospital through her father and judgment has now been entered for damages to be assessed.