On the cusp of discovering new treatments for sepsis
Thank you to Cameron Woods who shared the story of his sepsis battle with Bella Schwarzenecker for Channel Nine News.
The Brisbane father was diagnosed in February. The infection that can shut down organs within hours landing him in the ICU for 10 days.
“I was rushed to hospital with gallstone pain, severe pain. Blood pressure was 60 over 40. I was in and out of consciousness.”
“Sepsis is when the body's protective mechanisms go haywire. The blood pressure drops, so we try to get the blood pressure up by running a bolus of fluid, which is just a large volume of drip fluid given intravenously,” explains CCRG’s Dr Nchafatso Obonyo.
IV fluids have been the standard care for decades but septic shock can cause blood vessels to leak. The Critical Care Research Group has found that for IV fluids to be effective, the vessels need to be repaired first to prevent further harm.
“This approach is a total paradigm shift to current understanding of sepsis and how patients are treated in the critical ‘golden hour’ after the devasting disease has been diagnosed,” explains Dr Obonyo.
Sepsis kills more people than road traffic accidents, breast cancer and prostate cancer combined in a year in Australia. For those who survive, about 50% end up having persistent long-term side effects.
This research is still in its early stages. The next step, preclinical trials of alternative treatment mechanisms. The team needing $2.5 million to continue their research.
This breakthrough has completely overturned our current understanding of sepsis and is reshaping how we treat it.
“There is quite a lot of work we need to do and unfortunately, we have hit a roadblock on our path to clinical trials due to lack of funding.
“Today’s research is tomorrow’s treatment. We’ve been working for more than a decade to ensure a brighter future for patients who develop sepsis.
“I’m confident the next big innovation in the way we treat the disease is within reach, we just need help to cross the finish line," said Dr Obonyo. You can read more about this research here.
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