Sepsis: A Market in Need

Article preview from Medtech Insight - February 1, 2011

In this era of health care reform, critical care medicine remains a strong market for innovative technologies that can improve patient outcomes, shorten ICU stays, and ultimately reduce the overall cost of care. Within this space, one segment that is ripe for innovation is the market for severe sepsis products.Although the last 20 years have seen advances in treatment and a marked increase in the understanding of sepsis and septic shock, severe sepsis remains one of the most significant challenges in critical care today.

Sepsis: A Market in Need

Article preview from Medtech Insight - February 1, 2011

In this era of health care reform, critical care medicine remains a strong market for innovative technologies that can diagnose and treat patients faster, improve patient outcomes, shorten intensive care unit (ICU) stays, and ultimately reduce the overall cost of care. Within this space, one segment that is ripe for innovation is the market for severe sepsis products.

Severe sepsis is a leading cause of death in the US, claiming more than 215,000 lives each year. More people die from severe sepsis and septic shock in the US than from heart attacks, strokes, or any single form of cancer. This complex syndrome, characterized by an overwhelming systemic response to infection, disrupts the normal homeostasis of the body, resulting in an uncontrolled cascade of inflammation, coagulation, and impaired fibrinolysis. In turn, this cascade disrupts microcirculatory function and can lead to global tissue hypoxia, direct tissue damage, and ultimately, organ failure and death.

Although the last 20 years have seen advances in treatment and a marked increase in the understanding of sepsis and septic shock, severe sepsis remains one of the most significant challenges in critical care today. According to a 2001 epidemiological study by Angus et al, sepsis affects two out of every 100 patients admitted to the hospital and over 50% of these patients end up in the ICU.

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