Session 7 from the 2022 World Sepsis Congress Spotlight – ‘Pro-Con: Are Personalized Interventions in Sepsis Even Possible?’ – is now available on YouTube (embedded above) and as a Podcast on Apple Podcasts (just search for World Sepsis Congress in your favorite podcast app).

The session was chaired by Teresa Kortz from the University of California, and features the following presentations and speakers:

• Mihai Netea – Pro: We Can Use Biomarkers to Translate Host Information Into Medical Interven- tion

• Lorraine Ware – Con: It Is Impossible to Transfer Existing Evidence to Clinical Routine

• Nuala Meyer – A Pragmatic Balance: Where Does Current Knowledge Lead Us?

Sessions are released weekly on Tuesdays. The next and final session will be ‘Innovations in Quality Improvement Strategies in All Settings ’ on June 21, 2022.

You can already subscribe on either platform to be automatically notified once new sessions are available.

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Full Release Schedule

• May 3, 2022 – S1: Could Enhanced Pathogen Diagnostics Change Sepsis Management?

• May 10, 2022 – S2: Biomarkers in the Diagnosis and Management of Sepsis and COVID-19

• May 17, 2022 – S3: Panel: Knowledge from COVID-19 to Improve Sepsis Care and Vice Versa

• May 24, 2022 – S4: How to Make the Most of Existing and Frugal Technologies

• May 31, 2022 – S5: Antibiotics and Antivirals – How to Improve Efficacy and Minimize Harm

• June 7, 2022 – S6: Update on Adjunctive Sepsis and COVID-19 Therapies

• June 14, 2022 – S7: Pro-Con: Are Personalized Interventions in Sepsis Even Possible?

• June 21, 2022 – S8: Innovations in Quality Improvement Strategies in All Settings

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World Sepsis Day is just 3 months away – will you be joining us to raise awareness for sepsis this September 13? We have collected a ton of resources, inspiration, and ideas for you here. If you have any questions or can’t find what you are looking for, please contact us.

Session 6 from the 2022 World Sepsis Congress Spotlight – ‘Update on Adjunctive Sepsis and COVID-19 Therapies’ – is now available on YouTube (embedded above) and as a Podcast on Apple Podcasts (just search for World Sepsis Congress in your favorite podcast app).

The session was chaired by Luis Antonio Gorordo Del Sol from Sepsis Mexico, and features the following presentations and speakers:

• Evangelos J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis – Anakinra Treatment – Which COVID-19 Patients Benefit?

• Alexander Vlaar – Vilobelimab Phase III Study in COVID-19 Sepsis

• Luregn Schlapbach – The Approach to Immunomodulatory and Adjunctive Therapy in Children with Sepsis

• Sarah Sasson – The Approach to Immunomodulatory and Adjunctive Therapy in Adults with Sepsis

Sessions are released weekly on Tuesdays. The next session will be ‘Pro-Con: Are Personalized Interventions in Sepsis Even Possible?’ on June 14, 2022.

You can already subscribe on either platform to be automatically notified once new sessions are available.

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Full Release Schedule

• May 3, 2022 – S1: Could Enhanced Pathogen Diagnostics Change Sepsis Management?

• May 10, 2022 – S2: Biomarkers in the Diagnosis and Management of Sepsis and COVID-19

• May 17, 2022 – S3: Panel: Knowledge from COVID-19 to Improve Sepsis Care and Vice Versa

• May 24, 2022 – S4: How to Make the Most of Existing and Frugal Technologies

• May 31, 2022 – S5: Antibiotics and Antivirals – How to Improve Efficacy and Minimize Harm

• June 7, 2022 – S6: Update on Adjunctive Sepsis and COVID-19 Therapies

• June 14, 2022 – S7: Pro-Con: Are Personalized Interventions in Sepsis Even Possible?

• June 21, 2022 – S8: Innovations in Quality Improvement Strategies in All Settings

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In 2017, the World Health Assembly and World Health Organization made sepsis a global health priority by adopting a resolution to improve, prevent, diagnose, and manage sepsis (resolution 70.7, often referred to as the ‘Sepsis Resolution’).

The aforementioned resolution urged the UN Member States to reinforce existing strategies to include sepsis more holistically, or to develop new ones, de facto calling for national sepsis strategies.

Has your country/government followed through? We are working on assembling a world map, tracking the status of national sepsis strategies across the world – and while we have a good idea of what’s going on, we want to make sure not to miss anything. That’s why we need your input – does your country have a sepsis strategy in place or in development?

Please use the form below – we are specifically looking for government programs, plans, or strategies on sepsis, not advocacy efforts by non-governmental organizations or individuals (although we very much welcome those as well). If these strategies are only being rolled out in parts of the country, for example because of a federal system, or are not implemented but in development, please submit them anyway.

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P.S.: If you know about sepsis strategies that are hospital-specific (not by the government) or have any other questions or observations, please contact us.

Session 5 from the 2022 World Sepsis Congress Spotlight – ‘Antibiotics and Antivirals – How to Improve Efficacy and Minimize Harm’ – is now available on YouTube (embedded above) and as a Podcast on Apple Podcasts (just search for World Sepsis Congress in your favorite podcast app).

The session was chaired by Lowell Ling from the Asia Pacific Sepsis Alliance, and features the following presentations and speakers:

• Alex Soriano – PK/PD to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance

• Mario Tumbarello – Meropenem/Vaborbactam: A New Weapon in the ICU

• Matteo Bassetti – Remdesivir and Novel Antivirals: Is It Prime Time?

• Ana Gales – Colistin and Fosofmycin: The End of an Era or the Requisition of Potent Drugs?

• Mihaela Lupse – Procalcitonin for Early Stop of Antibiotics: Antimicrobial Stewardship and Impact on Outcome

Sessions are released weekly on Tuesdays. The next session will be ‘Update on Adjunctive Sepsis and COVID-19 Therapies’ on June 7, 2022.

You can already subscribe on either platform to be automatically notified once new sessions are available.

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Full Release Schedule

• May 3, 2022 – S1: Could Enhanced Pathogen Diagnostics Change Sepsis Management?

• May 10, 2022 – S2: Biomarkers in the Diagnosis and Management of Sepsis and COVID-19

• May 17, 2022 – S3: Panel: Knowledge from COVID-19 to Improve Sepsis Care and Vice Versa

• May 24, 2022 – S4: How to Make the Most of Existing and Frugal Technologies

• May 31, 2022 – S5: Antibiotics and Antivirals – How to Improve Efficacy and Minimize Harm

• June 7, 2022 – S6: Update on Adjunctive Sepsis and COVID-19 Therapies

• June 14, 2022 – S7: Pro-Con: Are Personalized Interventions in Sepsis Even Possible?

• June 21, 2022 – S8: Innovations in Quality Improvement Strategies in All Settings

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Session 4 from the 2022 World Sepsis Congress Spotlight – ‘How to Make the Most of Existing and Frugal Technologies’ – is now available on YouTube (embedded above) and as a Podcast on Apple Podcasts (just search for World Sepsis Congress in your favorite podcast app).

The session was chaired by Traci Wolbrink from the Harvard Medical School, and features the following presentations and speakers:

• John Knight – Point-Of-Care Peritoneal Dialysis – A Cost-Effective, Greener Alternative for Renal Replacement Therapy

• Louise Thwaites – Wearable Devices for Sepsis Care in Low-Resource Settings – Getting Past the Noise

• Rishi Kamaleswaran – Neonatal Technologies: From Development to Prime Time

• Mark Ansermino – From Triage to Follow-Up Care: Smart Quality Improvement

• Liz Joekes – The Strengths and Limitations of Adopting Technology for Sepsis Management in LMICs – Lessons Learned From Experiences With Point-Of-Care Ultrasound

Sessions are released weekly on Tuesdays. The next session will be ‘Antibiotics and Antivirals – How to Improve Efficacy and Minimize Harm’ on May 31, 2022.

You can already subscribe on either platform to be automatically notified once new sessions are available.

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Full Release Schedule

• May 3, 2022 – S1: Could Enhanced Pathogen Diagnostics Change Sepsis Management?

• May 10, 2022 – S2: Biomarkers in the Diagnosis and Management of Sepsis and COVID-19

• May 17, 2022 – S3: Panel: Knowledge from COVID-19 to Improve Sepsis Care and Vice Versa

• May 24, 2022 – S4: How to Make the Most of Existing and Frugal Technologies

• May 31, 2022 – S5: Antibiotics and Antivirals – How to Improve Efficacy and Minimize Harm

• June 7, 2022 – S6: Update on Adjunctive Sepsis and COVID-19 Therapies

• June 14, 2022 – S7: Pro-Con: Are Personalized Interventions in Sepsis Even Possible?

• June 21, 2022 – S8: Innovations in Quality Improvement Strategies in All Settings

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Five years after the adoption of the Resolution “Improving the Prevention, Diagnosis and Clinical Management of Sepsis” by the World Health Assembly in 2017, G7 Health Ministers commit to intensify efforts to strengthen early detection, diagnosis, and therapy of sepsis in their joint conclusion.

“We commend Germany’s leadership and particularly Minister Lauterbach, who understands the importance of addressing sepsis awareness, diagnosis, and management in Germany by supporting a national campaign, and bringing it to the agenda of G7. Five years after the adoption of Resolution 70.7, its implementation is still lagging behind. The G7 countries are leaders in sepsis management, and we hope that their example inspires other countries around the world in setting up national strategies encompassing awareness, education, diagnosis, treatment, and support to sepsis patients after hospital dismissals.”

— Prof. Niranjan ‘Tex’ Kissoon, GSA President

Successful sepsis treatment is affected by antimicrobial resistance. The G7 health ministers’ conclusions remind us that ineffective or unavailable antibiotic treatments contribute to the 11 million deaths caused by sepsis annually. The G7 also commits to allocating resources to support low- and middle-income countries and to strengthen prevention through capacity-building where appropriate.

The Global Sepsis Alliance and our Regional Sepsis Alliances are working with national governments and all relevant stakeholders to foster the implementation of the 70.7 resolution. Besides the G7, other European countries are setting up national sepsis strategies integrating sepsis management in their national health systems, backed by Australia.

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About Sepsis

Sepsis is the common final pathway of all acute infections. It arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. It may lead to shock, multiple organ failure, and death, especially if not recognized early and treated promptly.

It all started in Bali, where I lived at the time. After a year, I planned to visit my parents and friends in the Czech Republic. About a month before I left, I contracted Covid-19 (Omicron variant), which knocked my immunity to zero. My immunity used to be so strong. Colds or viruses had been foreign words to me for several years. About 5 days before my flight, I was preparing chicken for a broth and had a nostril on my fingernail. It wasn't the first time I'd come in contact with raw chicken, so it never occurred to me that the gut was the gateway to Campylobacter infection. On the day of my arrival in the Czech Republic, everything was still fine, I didn't feel anything, I just found it weird that I didn't have a taste for beer, it always means something is wrong. This time I attributed it to fatigue after a long journey…

The next day, fevers and chills began. I thought it was post-covid syndrome. I lasted another day, but the temperature began to mysteriously fluctuate from 39.5 to 34.3. It seemed absurd to me and led to a broken thermometer. That Wednesday in the evening, I fell unconscious. My parents called the ambulance, which took me to the hospital. After a few hours, they told me the results showed an intestinal virus and I could go home. It was 2 o'clock in the morning. They recommended another blood sample in 2 days.

That Friday, I wasn’t able to stay on my feet anymore, I couldn't talk, and I had horrible stomach aches, and terrible green diarrhea so the nurse came to take my blood sample at home. An hour later, when she got the blood results, she sent an ambulance to me, saying that I was in danger of death. CRP level 430, pressure 70/40, malaise, dehydration – I had developed sepsis, which began to turn into septic shock. My kidneys were starting to fail. After a few hours on admission, when I underwent various examinations (X-ray and CT of the abdomen, blood samples, etc.), they took me to the intensive care unit. They knew it was a septic shock. They immediately inserted a probe that drained 1.5 liters of green infectious fluid from my stomach, which had formed there for a week. After a few days, the antibiotics stopped working and the inflammatory values ​​jumped up again. It showed another source of infection in my body. My heart was starting to fail, and I had water in my lungs.

It was the morning of March 3 when they told me that I needed emergency surgery to look into my stomach. It's the day I'm going to celebrate my second birthday. I had a 10% chance of surviving. They inserted central venous access into my throat, from where they took my blood daily and infused me because my veins were terribly weak and were already starting to rupture. The abdomen and intestines were full of infectious fluid, which caused inflammation of the peritoneum, a dysfunctional intestine on which adhesions formed. The infection was so great that it hit my lungs.

I was relieved after this operation, even though I was weak and wasn’t able to stay on my feet. I was finally able to drink after a week. I spent another week in the ICU's surgical department, where they slowly began to teach me to stand on my own two feet and take at least a few steps with the help of a walker. These were the worst moments – I had been in shape all the time, as a coach I put into my body as much as I could, how many times I disobeyed my body, and when it couldn't, I loaded him twice as much. Hard training, extreme mountain hikes, untreated injuries, because I still have to train, etc. and suddenly I can't stay on my own feet?!

Evidently, my body brought me back to the years of torturing and driving him to extremes without being grateful to him for all that. I was still dissatisfied, well, here I have it, I can and I have to start all over again. I left the hospital like a skeleton, my dad had to take me up the stairs – my legs didn't carry me at all.

By the time this is published, it will be 2 months since I am home from the hospital. It's still very difficult, and I have post-sepsis syndrome. For me, it's a change in taste, problems with short-term memory, my hair falling out a handful, I have nightmares at night, panic about the possibility of another infection, problems with appetite, mood swings, mental problems, and fatigue.

Every day, I write down my progress. I don't bother my body and I'm infinitely grateful to him for winning a second chance at life for me! And I'm grateful to my great parents, whom I have exposed to terrifying moments. How they support me and take care of me in this difficult time is beyond explanation. I am writing this story to raise awareness of this insidious disease, where time and awareness play a critical role for one to survive. Very few people in the Czech Republic know about sepsis.

Now I have problems with my stomach and intestines. I am still on a very strict diet, unfortunately, and I still can't eat what I was used to before – piles of vegetable salads, spicy food, and much more. And in a month, I will have my first session with a psychologist due to a post-traumatic stress disorder I was diagnosed with.

I try to practice yoga 2-3 times a week, and I go for walks regularly – I am up to 9 km now after I started with 50 meters after being released from the hospital.

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The article above was written by Tereza Sauer and is shared here with her explicit consent. The views in the article do not necessarily represent those of the Global Sepsis Alliance. They are not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The whole team here at the GSA and World Sepsis Day wishes to thank Tereza for sharing her story and for fighting to raise awareness for sepsis.

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