Early detection of at-risk septic patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An observational pilot study for the Multi-Modality risk prediction and early Identification of Critically ill Septic patients in the emergency department (MMICS)
IRAS ID
329317
Contact name
Ahilanandan Dushianthan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 10 months, 28 days
Research summary
Severe infections in patients can cause sepsis, a condition where the infection causes different organ systems in the body to fail. One of these systems is the heart and blood vessels which pump blood around the body, called the cardiovascular system. When the cardiovascular system fails, we call this septic shock. In the early stages of sepsis, it may not be immediately obvious that the cardiovascular system is beginning to fail. Our study is planning to look at whether by using different techniques we can identify sicker patients more quickly in than current practice.
We intend to recruit 56 patients with suspected sepsis the Emergency Department. We want to monitor tissue oxygen levels when they first come into the Emergency Department as well as the change when a tourniquet is applied for 3 minutes. We will take additional blood tests when the patient is having their routine bloods. Finally, if available, we will use a special camera to take specialised pictures of the small blood vessels under the tongue to assess blood flow. We will follow the recruited patients and determine if our extra data is better at determining who needs critical care. A significant proportion of patients may be too unwell or too distressed to consent to be part of this study. At the earliest opportunity we will ask patients when they have been stabilised and are able to give consent. If they say no, they will be removed from the study and their care will not be affected by this decision.
The results may help identify patients at-risk of developing septic shock as early as possible so that unwell patients are detected and treated early. This could mean starting advanced treatments usually found in the Intensive Care Unit very early on in a patient’s journey.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/EE/0192
Date of REC Opinion
3 Oct 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion