Rep. Canario praises passage of bill that develops statewide sepsis protocols

STATE HOUSE – Rep. Dennis M. Canario (D-Dist. 71, Portsmouth, Little Compton, Tiverton) is praising the passage of legislation (2019-H 5539) by the House of Representatives that requests the RI Department of Health develop statewide sepsis protocols. House Majority Leader K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) is the lead sponsor of the legislation and Representative Canario is a cosponsor of the bill.
“As we have seen recently in the news, sepsis is still posing a great danger to those that enter our hospitals and we as a state are still not adequately prepared to identify and treat cases of sepsis before it is too late and death results. This legislation is a good first-step in treating this public health problem and I was proud to cosponsor this life-saving bill,” said Representative Canario.
Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to infections that can cause organ damage when not treated, and if the condition develops into septic shock, the chances of dying from sepsis greatly increase.
According to a 2018 study by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Rhode Island ranks fourth lowest in the United States for properly treating sepsis, which kills more than 200,000 people yearly in the country. Sepsis is also the most common cause of death in hospitalized children in both Rhode Island and the entire United States.
Early identification and treatment of sepsis greatly reduces the risk of death in patients. The legislation calls for the Department of Health to develop statewide evidence-based sepsis protocols for the early diagnosis and treatment of sepsis cases.
The legislation is a House resolution so it does not require Senate approval.