HCA Florida Englewood Hospital uses automated, real-time system to detect sepsis early and help save lives

HCA Florida Englewood Hospital uses automated, real-time system
to detect sepsis early and help save lives
HCA Healthcare’s SPOT technology is an alert system that monitors high risk patients 24/7
 
ENGLEWOOD, Fla. September 27, 2023 – As part of HCA Healthcare, HCA Florida Englewood Hospital uses an automated, real-time system to identify patients with sepsis more quickly. The system is HCA Healthcare’s Sepsis Prediction and Optimization of Therapy, or SPOT, technology and allows caregivers to intervene quickly to save lives.
 
Sepsis is an overwhelming infection that can lead to total body failure, and approximately 270,000 Americans die from it each year, according to the Sepsis Alliance. Because the symptoms of sepsis are similar to those of many other illnesses, diagnosing it can be very challenging; however, studies have shown that with early recognition followed by aggressive treatment, patient survival can increase significantly because sepsis mortality increases by 4 to 9 percent every hour it goes undetected.
 
Some individuals are at greater risk. Those who are 65 and older, have chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, lung disease or cancer, weakened immune systems and have recently had sepsis are all at greater risk for sepsis. Children younger than one year are also at risk.
 
Jessica Newman, sepsis coordinator for Englewood Hospital, shared the signs and symptoms of sepsis. “An elevated heart rate, or weakened pulse, a sudden onset of confusion, extreme pain or discomfort, fever or shivering, shortness of breath and clammy skin are all symptoms of sepsis,” Newman said. “To prevent sepsis, you should prevent infections by managing chronic conditions and practicing good hand hygiene. If you suspect sepsis, advocate for yourself and seek an evaluation by a health professional as soon as possible.”
 
HCA Healthcare’s SPOT is an algorithm and alert system for the early detection of sepsis. Created by HCA Healthcare clinical and IT experts using data from millions of hospitalizations, SPOT continuously monitors vital signs, lab results, nursing reports and other data that can inform treatment and sees the critical data points in patients’ electronic health records. HCA Healthcare’s SPOT links algorithmic sepsis detection with clinical workflow. It quickly alerts care teams of important and often subtle changes in a patient’s condition so they can take appropriate action.
 
Because HCA Healthcare’s SPOT algorithm was informed by vast data from 31 million annual patient care episodes, it is highly sensitive and extremely precise. It sees signs of potential sepsis humans cannot see while excluding instances when humans inaccurately suspect sepsis. HCA Healthcare’s national clinical data warehouse, which receives information from the electronic health record, is the heart of HCA’s data ecosystem, providing the ability to aggregate and analyze data streams in real-time and feed tools like SPOT that, in turn, provide actionable information to caregivers.

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