Research Student Wins Sepsis Poster Competition

September 16, 2013 - Sepsis accounts for nearly 200,000 deaths each year in the US. To increase public awareness of this globally common deadly disease, the Global Sepsis Alliance with their founding non-profit organizations created September 13th as World Sepsis Day. In honor of this day, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Sepsis Collaborative held a community event that included informational exhibits, posters, and provided educational material on sepsis. One of CeTIR’s summer research students, Corbin Goerlich, presented a poster at this year event where he won the clinical poster competition. Mr. Goerlich, along with his primary mentor, CeTIR’s Dr. Laura Moore, conducted a prospective observational study to validate the use of a sepsis screening tool in emergency department patients utilizing StO₂ measurements. The purpose of this study was to develop a screening tool for early identification of sepsis in the emergency department using readily available triage data. Early identification can lead to earlier treatment and reduced rates of morbidity and mortality. Visit the World Sepsis Day and Sepsis Collaborative websites for more information on sepsis.