This customizable surveillance and alert software program, named Azrael, monitors all admitted hospital patients for signs of sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening response to an infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death. The worldwide sepsis diagnostics market was valued at $339.4 million in 2015 and is predicted to surpass $874.6 million by 2025. Early diagnosis could be the difference between life and death. However, attempts to standardize the early detection and treatment of sepsis have been unsuccessful due to the number and types of symptoms sepsis can present: vomiting, sore throat, fever, cold intolerance, pain, clammy skin, confusion, breathing issues or rapid heart rate. Researchers at UF Health in Jacksonville have developed Azrael to work with existing vital sign monitoring to screen patients for early warning signs of sepsis and notify appropriate personnel if detected, decreasing sepsis mortality or injury with early response. This real-time monitoring program allows for timely recognition of sepsis without the constant engagement of medical teams.
Automated, hourly, electronic monitoring software program for early detection and timely alert of sepsis in hospital patients
Azrael uses electric medical record (EMR) data to aid healthcare professionals with decision making regarding sepsis detection. Azrael runs in the background, monitoring all patients hourly for factors present that could indicate sepsis, issuing an alert if conditions of sepsis are detected. It limits the number of alerts sent during a 24-hour period, to prevent alarm fatigue. Using location-based logic, each area of the hospital is able to set customize an alert firing threshold based on its preferences and response ability. However, if the program detects a worsening trend on any of the tracked parameters within a shorter time period, Azrael will send another targeted alert regardless of the number of previous alerts. This tool also considers a patient’s location, such as the ICU or operating room, as well as a patient’s post-operative status, when deciding to send an alert. The number of inpatient mortalities attributed to sepsis have reduced since doctors at UF Health in Jacksonville have started using Azrael. The software program can provide daily reports of collected data including alerts sent, alerts triggered by abnormal values and alerts confirmed by responders.