CRMC, Putnam EMS See Improvements in Sepsis Treatment

Cookeville Regional Medical Center (CRMC) and Putnam County EMS are seeing improvements after partnering to treat patients with sepsis.

EMS Deputy Chief Darren Ford said first-responders have seen an increase in quality care given to patients with the disease.

“Our crews have worked really hard at identifying these patients early in their assessments and starting the treatment immediately,” Ford said. “With having three patients who had antibiotics started during the transport phase of their care, in just the first three months, we are confident that many more patients will see improved outcomes as we proceed.”

CRMC and Putnam EMS launched Code Sepsis three months ago to help treat patients battling the disease. In that time, 19 total patients have been treated.

Ford said CRMC and Putnam EMS will continue tracking the progress of Code Sepsis as they work to continue their improvement.

“This is the first step in the process for us. We are going to continue working closely with CRMC to make sure that we are improving every step of the way, to be sure we are always doing what is best for our patients,” Ford said.

According to the Center for Disease Control, sepsis is an extreme response to infection by the body and can become life-threatening. Sepsis begins with an already-existing infection and can cause what the CDC considers a chain reaction through the body.