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EMS First Responders are Vital to Saving Lives from Sepsis

In September 2023 legislation was passed in RI mandating sepsis protocols for all medical providers.  Since then, the RI Department of Health has worked to continue educating and mandating continuous training in recognition and treating any patient who shows signs of sepsis.


Effective November 1, 2024, all EMS personnel began training in sepsis recognition and prompt treatment for the patients they encounter. We truly believe Gianna's ambulance ride to the hospital could have been vastly different if this was in effect in 2017.


When the RIDOH notified EMS providers via email that it had updated its training protocols, it noted, "As many as 87% of sepsis cases originate in the patient's community. EMS and prehospital practitioners are often the first medical providers to reach these cases." RIDOH's email continued: "Early recognition of sepsis and early notification to the receiving hospital by declaring a SEPSIS ALERT can increase patients' chances of survival and allow for accelerated coordination of care in the hospital." 


Jeff Howe, a board member of the Gianna Cirella Memorial Fund, and a Lieutenant in the Exeter Fire District EMS Division, says the updated regulations are already having an effect. His own team recently called a sepsis alert for a 76-year-old man on the way to the hospital. There is no doubt that the new training protocols will help save more lives.



 

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