A majority (57 %) of septic patients did not meet criteria for ICU‑level care
Thirty per cent of sepsis‑associated deaths occurred in patients who did not meet ICU‑level care criteria.

A five‑year, retrospective analysis of patients with suspected infection at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (OLOLRMC) in Baton Rouge, found that need for intensive care unit (ICU) – level care does not reliably identify sepsis. The study is being presented this week at the Society of Hospital Medicine Converge conference in Las Vegas.

The analysis compared ICU‑level care (LOC) decisions against results from a cellular host‑response test in 730 adult patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) with suspected infection. Key findings include:

• If lack of ICU‑level care was used to rule out sepsis, 57 % of patients who later developed sepsis would have been missed.
• Thirty per cent of sepsis‑related deaths occurred in the group deemed not to need ICU‑level care.
• If IntelliSep band 1 was used to rule out sepsis, only 5 % of patients who later developed sepsis would have been missed, and there were no sepsis‑related deaths in that subgroup.

According to Cytovale, its IntelliSep host‑response test outperformed ICU‑level care as both a diagnostic and prognostic tool for sepsis.

“Sepsis can progress rapidly and presents with symptoms common to other conditions,” said Robert Scoggins, pulmonary and critical care physician at Kootenai Health.

“Knowing that a patient needs ventilation, renal replacement therapy or vasopressors tells you about resource use, not the underlying cause. The IntelliSep test gives a more specific measure of immune response. That helps clinicians choose the right treatments sooner.”

Sepsis is defined as a dysregulated immune response to infection that leads to life‑threatening organ dysfunction and is the leading cause of in‑hospital death. Early symptoms—fever, rapid heart rate and breathing, low blood pressure—are not unique to sepsis, making prompt diagnosis difficult. Each hour of delayed treatment for septic shock increases mortality risk by up to 8 %, while treating non‑septic patients for sepsis can cause harm, according to published data.

“Front‑line doctors need rapid tests, like those for stroke and heart attack, to guide urgent care decisions,” said Hollis.

Bud O’Neal, associate professor of medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and medical director of research at OLOLRMC said:  “Cellular host‑response tests help us assess sepsis risk and severity so we can start the most appropriate therapy without delay.”

OLOLRMC began using IntelliSep in its ED last year. According to the company, the centre has since seen faster treatment decisions, shorter hospital stays and lower mortality rates among sepsis patients.

“Because IntelliSep measures immune dysregulation directly, it may offer more actionable risk stratification than relying on ICU‑level care alone,” said Dr. O’Neal.

Abstract 278 will be presented at SHM Converge tomorrow (Wednesday, April 23) at 12:10 pm, Screen F, Converge Central (Oceanside A), Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas.