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Around one-in-five patients with a diagnosis of sepsis died in hospital last year, a national report on the condition found. The in-hospital mortality rate for sepsis in 2024 was 20.3 per cent, up from 19.3 per cent the previous year. While the rate of deaths among adults rose, the level of mortality among paediatric patients declined from 3.7 per cent in 2023 to 2.6 per cent last year. Over the same period the number of recorded cases of sepsis and septic shock fell by 22 per cent, from 15,722 to 12,323. However, changes to how sepsis figures were recorded last year may account for some of this disparity, the National Sepsis Report 2024 said. Among patients diagnoses with septic shock, incidence remained more constant, while the mortality rate decreased from 38 per cent to 34.2 per cent over the last year. In a foreword to the report, HSE national clinical lead for sepsis Dr Michael O’Dwyer said: “Understanding the pattern of sepsis incidence in Ireland is essential to inform the programme about the characteristics of individuals who are at increased risk both of developing sepsis and of dying from sepsis. This allows us to advocate for heightened vigilance for sepsis amongst these individuals.” The report also found that the hospital mortality rate for sepsis diagnosed after surgery fell from 24.4 per cent to 23.5 per cent. The authors notes that the immunosuppressant effect of surgery is one of the reasons for the higher mortality rate among this group compared to patients who do not enter the operating theatre. The report advises that extra vigilance should be given to patients who deteriorate due to infection and who have one or more co-morbidities, are over 75, or have a chronic condition such as cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney disease of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The mortality rate for sepsis diagnosed medically rose from 19.9 per cent to 21.4 per cent, while the average length of stay in hospital amongst all sepsis patients increased by 3.3 per cent last year, from 22.2 days to 22.9 days. The report comes ahead of a new five-year strategy on sepsis, which, according to the HSE clinical lead for national quality and patient safety, is due for publication later this year. “The Action on Sepsis: Five Year Strategy (2025 – 2030) is comprehensive and grounded in Irish data and international best practice,” said Dr Orla Healy. “The strategy will tackle the challenges of sepsis management and prevention. It will build on the current sepsis programme of work and will expand its focus into community settings, including supporting the uptake of vaccinations and public health measures that can reduce the incidence of sepsis.” Writing in the report, Dr Healy said the recent ‘Could it be sepsis?’ national awareness campaign led to a 100 per cent increase in the number of visitors to sepsis-related content on the HSE website. “A research evaluation showed that people were significantly more likely to be familiar with the signs of sepsis if they were exposed to the campaign,” she said. “A third of people recalled seeing or hearing the campaign. The radio advert, in particular, showed strong potential to encourage people to consider sepsis if they were to experience symptoms.”
