Researchers have new, faster test for sepsis

Researchers in the Milwaukee area have developed a new automated test to identify most leading causes of bacterial bloodstream infections 42 hours faster than conventional methods, potentially reducing medical bills by about $21,000 for patients suffering from sepsis.
The automated nucleic acid test, developed by researchers at Froedtert Hospital & The Medical College of Wisconsin and a company called Nanosphere, identifies genetic information of bacteria and antibiotic resistance for 12 of the most common bacteria that cause sepsis.
Sepsis caused by bacterial bloodstream infections results in up to 500,000 hospitalisations each year and accounts for 11% of intensive care unit admissions in the United States, according to a study released Tuesday evaluating the effectiveness of the new test. It has a mortality rate of 25% to 80% in critically-ill patients. Gram-positive bacteria