Sepsiscreen test to detect Sepsis

SRL Diagnostics has introduced India’s first Sanger sequencing based ‘SepsiScreen’ test to diagnose Sepsis, a life threatening disease taking more than 258,000 lives every year in India.

Sepsis is a major medical threat, which is increasing because of antibiotic resistance in patients. Considering this need SRL has recently introduced ‘Sepsiscreen’, giving a breakthrough solution in the domain of Sepsis diagnosis. Sepsiscreen has the ability to detect 345 pathogens irrespective of the administration of antibiotics and the culturability of strains, which has a direct advantage over existing blood culture method.

In the developing countries like India, sepsis accounts for 60-80 per cent of lost lives per year in childhood with over 6 million affected neonates and children and more than 100,000 cases of maternal sepsis. As per reports one out of four patients in Indian intensive care units suffer from sepsis. According to a recent nationwide study of Indian Intensive Care Case Mix and Practice Patterns (INDICAPS) involving over 124 ICUs across 17 states in India, mortality was found to be as high as 46 per cent in patients with septic shock and 42.2% overall in septic patients, compared with 17.8 per cent mortality for ICU patients who did not develop sepsis.

Dr B R Das, President - Research and Innovation, Mentor - Molecular Pathology and Clinical Research Service of SRL Diagnostics highlighting the threats of this disease said, "It is true that Sepsis is most common but least recognized disease. SRL’s Sepsiscreen in ICU set-ups, potentially provides a way to treat patients quickly without a delay in identifying the source of infection, and it works equally well with antibiotic-resistant organisms."

“Identifying the specific pathogen responsible for sepsis can take several days, and in most patients the causative agent is never identified. Sepsiscreen test can be efficiently employed on blood specimens and is 13-75 hours faster than routine blood culture. By adhering to best practices and actively monitoring quality assurance measures, we feel confident that SRL Diagnostics is providing the best results in supporting clinicians in the diagnosis of sepsis.” added Dr B R Das.

Sometimes referred to as blood poisoning, Sepsis occurs when a patient's immune system over reacts to a bloodstream infection, triggering a chain reaction that can cause inflammation, blood clotting, organ damage, and death. It can arise from a variety of infections, including appendicitis, urinary tract infections, skin or lung infections, as well as contaminated IV lines, surgical sites, and catheters. In severe cases, sepsis can weaken the heart, shut down other organs, and may lead to death. Early recognition of patients with possible sepsis is critical for preventing severe outcomes.

Those at higher risk for sepsis include people with weakened immune systems, infants and children, elderly people, people with chronic illnesses and those who suffer severe burns or physical trauma. Patients who develop and survive sepsis have an increased risk of complications and death later, and they face higher healthcare costs and longer treatment.