Apr 19, 2012

Multimedia: Health Awareness Info and Rap about Sepsis

As some of my readers know, my perfectly healthy daughter was recently hospitalized with sepsis. For that reason, I've taken a temporary detour to gather information and data about sepsis. This summer, I'm considering working on a public awareness information visualization about this topic. 


The following video is a rap created to promote awareness about sepsis and the treatment of sepsis among health care providers. Although the first patient in the video is an elderly man, know that it can strike any age group.





I am happy to say that daughter is now doing well. She was treated relatively early, and unlike many others, she suffered no tissue or organ damage. She survived.


Some of the symptoms of sepsis include fever, hypothermia, a high heart rate (over 90 beats per minute), a fast respiratory rate, low/falling blood pressure, swelling, light headedness, etc. Skip urgent care if you have the signs of sepsis and go immediately to the E.R, tell them your symptoms, especially your blood pressure, heart rate, temp, and any type of infection you might have.  Say that you suspect you have sepsis. The sooner you get treatment, the better your chance of survival. 


More children die of sepsis than from cancer in the United States, and about 40% of all patients diagnosed with severe sepsis do not survive.*


RELATED
Sepsis Alliance
Surviving Sepsis Campaign
Global Sepsis Alliance
Surviving Sepsis: Going Beyond the Guidelines (pdf)

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