Paula Jacobs

After working on development of one of the country’s first electronic sepsis alerts, followed by 18 years of leading teams in early detection and treatment of sepsis, I thought I knew everything there was to know about sepsis. But I did not know how it makes you feel. That all changed in 2016 when I developed severe sepsis after just a couple of days of fever from undiagnosed pneumonia. (Sepsis and Pneumonia)

There was no preceding upper respiratory illness, no cough, just fever and extreme fatigue. It was about the sickest I had ever felt, with that vague yet horrible feeling of impending doom. My first sign of trouble was a rapid heartbeat alert from my watch. But I knew what that combination of lethargy, rapid pulse, and fever might signal and asked my husband to get me to the hospital. Fortunately, the sepsis auto-alert our team had developed worked as designed and the ED physician knew within minutes that severe sepsis criteria was evident. The physician, also a member of our sepsis improvement team, did all the right things and the care team was very efficient. As a result, the doctor was able to discharge me without complication after just three days of hospitalization.

Years prior my daughter, Kerry, had experienced an even more rapid progression, with severe sepsis developing from an undiagnosed UTI following an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. Her baby was less than 48 hours old when she suddenly developed sepsis, going from well to extremely ill during the span of an afternoon nap. Not even knowing she had an infection, she frantically called to ask that I raise her 4-year-old and newborn baby because she felt like she was dying. Clinicians should never ignore mental status changes like those. Again, because I knew signs of severe sepsis – and could detect uncharacteristic anxiety and rapid breathing in her voice – I knew she needed antibiotics and fluids. And she needed them fast. Like me, because of that rapid intervention she was able to return home to her baby after just a brief hospitalization. And her newborn? He is heading off to his first year of college this week. We are so thankful she survived sepsis to raise him. (Sepsis and Pregnancy & Childbirth, Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections)

We were the lucky ones – we knew what signs to look for and knew we needed immediate medical attention. Studies show than most people have not even heard of sepsis and, quite unlike heart attack or stroke, very few people could name the signs. Even a surprising number of clinicians tend to think of sepsis as a major cause of death just in the elderly. It was surprising to find in a review of thousands of sepsis deaths in our hospitals from 2018-2024, the average age of death was just 67.8 years old. Comparing that to the average 2023 U.S. life expectancy of 79.3, far too many people lose precious years to sepsis.

Thank you, Sepsis Alliance, for educating the public. Sepsis does not just happen to the elderly. It happens to children, new moms, grandmothers, and every age in between. Without fail, each time I have spoken publicly about our health system’s sepsis work, someone from the audience comes up to tell me about their personal experience with sepsis, often regarding the loss of a loved one. Please continue your campaign to educate the public in learning the warning signs and the importance of not waiting to seek that life-saving immediate medical attention.

Source: Paula Jacobs (self) and Kerry Jacobs Page (daughter)