Early Warning Systems for Identifying Severe Maternal Outcomes in the Who Global Maternal Sepsis Study (2024)

FAQs

What are early warning systems with regards to sepsis recognition? ›

Modified early warning score consists of an early warning system used to detect at-risk patients by assessing clinically detectable signs of SIRS and SOD, assigning scores according to the degree of deviation from normal ranges for each of these parameters.

GLOSS, the Global Maternal Sepsis Study, helped quantify the true burden and assess the current management of maternal and neonatal sepsis. The Study looked at how women with infection during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum, or post-abortion are identified and treated in participating hospitals.

Identification criteria for maternal sepsis cases should be based on the presence of suspected or confirmed infection plus signs of mild to moderate organ dysfunction (e.g. tachycardia, low blood pressure, tachypnoea, altered mental status, reduced urinary output).

Sepsis biomarkers can help to identify patients at the early stages of disease and to predict clinical severity and outcomes of a treatment. The biomarkers include white blood cells (WBC), C‐reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT) and lactate (11).

Annotations: Effective “end-to-end” and “people-centred” early warning systems may include four interrelated key elements: (1) disaster risk knowledge based on the systematic collection of data and disaster risk assessments; (2) detection, monitoring, analysis and forecasting of the hazards and possible consequences; ( ...

Early warning systems are commonly used in various fields, which can include: Natural disasters - Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, landslides, wildfires, and volcanic eruptions. To detect early warning indicators of such disasters, early warning systems rely on monitoring networks, sensors, and data analysis.

The most common cause is a severe bacterial infection of the uterus during pregnancy or immediately after childbirth. Maternal sepsis could also be caused by a urinary infection, or pneumonia. Pregnant women who have a chronic condition impacting one of their organs are the most at risk from maternal sepsis.

The major physiologic changes seen in pregnancy that will impact a diagnosis of sepsis using the SOFA criteria include a decrease in blood pressure, an increase in heart rate, a decrease in bilirubin and creatinine, and an increase in leukocyte count. These physiologic changes are especially pronounced in labor.

Maternal sepsis is the third most common cause of maternal mortality. Maternal sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs during pregnancy, childbirth, post-abortion or the postpartum period.

What factors are associated with maternal sepsis? ›

The factors associated with maternal sepsis in our review are partly in accordance with a review of the literature in other systematic reviews in 2009 and 2022 (27, 77), where the risk factors identified were intrapartum maternal fever, multiple vagin*l examinations, foul-smelling vagin*l discharge, prematurity, ...

Initially, sepsis was defined in 1991 as infection or suspected infection leading to the onset of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) where SIRS was defined as the presence of any two out of four criteria-tachycardia (heart rate > 90/min), tachypnoea (respiratory rate > 20 breaths per min), fever or ...

Group B streptococcus (GBS) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) are common causes of neonatal sepsis. The good news is that there are ways to lower the risk of developing maternal and neonatal sepsis, including: Preventing and treating infections during pregnancy. Getting screened for GBS and HSV during pregnancy.

The causes of maternal sepsis include obstetric and non-obstetric causes. Maternal sepsis may also be from obstetrical critical illness. The most commonly reported pathogens in maternal sepsis include E. coli, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and other gram-negative bacteria.

Findings In this systematic review and meta-analysis including 22 studies of 19 580 patients, sepsis alert systems were associated with lower mortality, a shorter hospital stay, and improved sepsis-bundle adherence, notably in terms of shorter time to fluid administration, blood culture, antibiotic administration, and ...

An adult or older child has any of these symptoms of sepsis: acting confused, slurred speech or not making sense. blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet.

WHO's Early Warning, Alert and Response System (EWARS) is designed to improve disease outbreak detection in emergency settings, such as in countries in conflict or following a natural disaster. It is a simple and cost-effective way to rapidly set up a disease surveillance system.

Early signs of sepsis may include tachycardia, hypotension, abnormal temperature, tachypnea with a respiratory alkalosis, abnormal leukocyte count (with left shift), bandemia, thrombocytopenia, or elevated lactate level (⁴). An elevated procalcitonin would further support the diagnosis of sepsis (⁵).