Amador County – Sutter Amador Hospital medical staff members were training in a mobile classroom this week, in an effort to battle the deadly septic shock in its patients.

The trainer Monday in the SimSuite mobile classroom and medical simulation unit was Dr. Wayne Moore, who offered training in the Sutter Health sepsis program and sepsis in general.

He gave doctors and nurses Central Line Insertion Training for Physicians. Documents from the Sutter Health program said “timely insertion of a central venous catheter (central line) is the fifth step (of seven) in the evidence-based care for patients in septic shock. The line allows physicians and nurses to continually monitor critically important resuscitation parameters such as fluid volume status and oxygen perfusion to vital tissues and organs.”

The SimSuite “Central Line Management Program” gives “critical training to help increase and reinforce the competence and confidence of physicians who administer central line insertion. It also provides physicians with guidance on catheter insertions and management best practices to help prevent and manage central line-associated bloodstream infections in hospitals.

Publicist Gary Zavoral said Sutter Health’s success in Sepsis Care came as Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region focused on “identifying, treating and reducing the mortality of sepsis patients for more than seven years.”

A Moore Foundation grant in early 2010 allowed SH Sacramento Region to dedicate additional resources to combat sepsis, Zavoral said. The Sacramento Region’s efforts are aimed at advancing patient care and reducing mortality, and focus on the use of evidence-based, best care practices to rapidly screen, identify and treat severe sepsis.

As a result, several process improvements have been implemented, including routine sepsis screening on medical and surgical units. Zavoral said it allows “lactate surveillance to identify patients earlier,” and “prompt, critical care to prevent organ failure and decrease mortality.” It also allows “mobilization of interdisciplinary resources through a ‘sepsis alert’ to provide critical, urgent care.”

The initial phase of the project was piloted in 2010 at Sutter Roseville Medical Center to create consistent and reliable processes. The new sepsis protocol has enabled clinical staff to identify more patients with sepsis and initiate treatment before they become critical. As a result, SRMC achieved its 2010 goal of a 10 percent reduction in severe sepsis mortality.

In early 2011, the regional project team began working with all affiliates in the region to standardize these processes across the region. The goal for 2011 is a 15 percent reduction in mortality for all hospitals in the region.

Sepsis affects all ages and groups, and it becomes “severe” when the body’s response to the infection becomes out of control or “over the top,” causing the organs in the body to shut down.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.