A new multicenter study has found that a rapid blood test to assess sepsis risk at ED triage significantly increases safe patient discharges and reduces pressure on inpatient capacity — without compromising safety.

Cytovale’s IntelliSep test led to a 56% relative increase in ED discharges for low-risk patients, with no significant rise in 30-day return visits, according to real-world data presented at the 2025 Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) Clinical Lab Expo.

The study evaluated 4,650 patients presenting with signs of infection over a four-month period across four hospitals in the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System in Louisiana and Mississippi. When used at triage, IntelliSep helped clinicians confidently identify patients at low risk for sepsis and reduce unnecessary admissions.

“Improving quality of care in the ED required our health system to tackle sepsis – a time-sensitive condition that can be deadly if not addressed quickly. Rapid diagnostics like IntelliSep help our team make better treatment decisions,” said Dr Christopher Thomas, vice president and chief quality officer at FMOLHS and critical care physician at LSU Health Sciences Center.

“By ruling out sepsis for low-risk patients, we’re reducing avoidable admissions and creating bed capacity for critically ill patients.”

Smarter triage decisions under pressure

Sepsis is a life-threatening response to infection that requires rapid intervention, yet it remains one of the most difficult conditions to detect in the emergency department. With more than 155 million ED visits in the US each year, and around 20% involving a potential serious infection, clinicians face immense pressure to make fast and accurate decisions.

When sepsis cannot be ruled out with confidence, hospitals often err on the side of caution — leading to avoidable admissions that can compound ED crowding, reduce care quality, and delay treatment for more critical cases. IntelliSep aims to tackle that problem directly.

The eight-minute test measures immune activation and categorizes patients into three risk bands. According to the new study:

• Patients in IntelliSep Band 1 (low risk) were discharged at significantly higher rates

• There was no increase in 30-day return visits, confirming patient safety

• Hospitals saw reduced inpatient bed use, freeing up resources for high-acuity cases

“This study underscores how IntelliSep enables ED teams to act with clarity when treating patients suspected of having sepsis,” said Dr Bradley Burns, emergency medicine medical director at St. Dominic Hospital and study co-author. “We’re not only able to make decisions faster, but we are also able to treat more confidently, clearing a path through the ED that enhances patient safety and focuses our clinical response.”

Addressing sepsis without overburdening the system

ED crowding continues to challenge US hospitals, with national boarding times increasing from 167 to 175 minutes and leave-without-being-seen rates doubling in just one year. New tools like IntelliSep offer the potential to reduce strain on healthcare systems while maintaining safety and standards of care.

Cytovale’s host-response test — performed using a standard blood draw at triage — provides real-time immune profiling, guiding clinicians to act quickly and confidently.

A full version of the study, “Effect of Early-Stage Protocolized Implementation of a Novel Host-Response Test on Discharges, Hospital Free Days, and Returns at Four EDs in a Health System” is now available.