Hospital Using Philips Clinical Decision Support To Help Detect And Treat Sepsis Earlier

Andover, MA - Royal Philips Electronics recently showcased its portfolio of patient monitoring systems designed to make clinical information from patient monitors more meaningful, easier to understand and simple to use. Philips' versatile range of monitoring systems, including the ProtocolWatch application that applies patient data to evidence-based care protocols, are on display at the American Association of Critical Care Nurses' National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) meeting in Atlanta.

With a mortality rate of 28 to 50 percent¹, severe sepsis, or septic shock, is the leading cause of death in non-cardiac intensive care units². Philips ProtocolWatch aims to improve clinical confidence by utilizing the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) protocols to define physiological parameters that indicate the onset of sepsis. Established guidelines developed by the SSC may help hospitals reduce mortality and the significant costs associated with sepsis treatment.

"Through bedside monitoring measurements, ProtocolWatch offers relevant screening and treatment information from evidence-based guidelines to help clinicians make accurate and timely decisions regarding patient care," said Karen Guiliano, Ph.D., RN, clinical scientist, for Philips Medical Systems. "When a parameter reaches the limits per the SSC protocol, a window appears on the monitor screen and prompts clinicians to check for other clinical signs of severe sepsis."

Leading Hospital Reinforces Quality Guidelines with ProtocolWatch
Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center in Portland, Oregon began a quality initiative for sepsis in the fall of 2006, leading the hospital to develop its own protocols that follow the SSC guidelines. A leader in embracing evidence-based medicine, Good Samaritan Hospital recently installed ProtocolWatch in its large, 28-bed intensive care unit (ICU) to help reinforce this initiative, as well as increase the clinical knowledge base of hospital staff.

"Instead of evaluating a patient's condition and waiting for lab results, the ProtocolWatch application is able to help identify early indicators of sepsis, allowing our treatment to begin in a more timely manner," said LuAnn Staul, clinical nurse specialist, Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital. "According to SSC protocols, treatment should be completed during the first six hours following sepsis identification. Since implementing ProtocolWatch, we have been able to complete interventions in less than six hours by virtue of having clear cues and a relevant timeline available, which helps remove obstacles when providing care to critically ill patients."

In addition, the system alerts Good Samaritan critical care nurses and physicians to the patient's progress in meeting the timeline for early goal directed therapy, helping align staff, enabling increased care continuity and consistency, and fostering enhanced communication. "Today, medical professionals require clear views to patient data and guidance in response to the information overload they often face," said Deborah DiSanzo, senior vice president, Patient Monitoring, for Philips Medical Systems. "Clinical decision support applications like ProtocolWatch can have a powerful impact in treating patients with sepsis and potentially saving lives. Because the symptoms of sepsis are difficult to detect and often get confused with other conditions, our goal is to give physicians and nurses an extra set of eyes to screen patient data and help them choose the best possible treatment, faster."

Philips ProtocolWatch Seminar – Sharpening Focus on Detecting and Treating Sepsis
To help empower clinicians, a new seminar designed to be taught at hospitals has recently been introduced. The seminar will be demonstrated at the Philips booth and will provide essential information on using the SSC guidelines in conjunction with ProtocolWatch for early recognition, intervention and treatment of sepsis.

"The Philips ProtocolWatch Seminar provides the nursing community with a valuable educational opportunity," said Thomas Ahrens, seminar leader and RN, DNS, FAAN and research scientist at Barnes Jewish Hospital.

With three CEUs, the "Sepsis and Sepsis Management: A Protocol-Driven Approach³" seminar offers nurses educational benefits by providing:

• the link between the signs and symptoms of patients and the possibility of sepsis;
• in-depth learning about the SSC guidelines for screening and treatment recommendations for sepsis; and
• the ability to utilize the IntelliVue ProtocolWatch application software to optimize adherence to the SSC guidelines.

High-Acuity Features in a Compact and Durable Design
The IntelliVue MP5 provides an easy-to-use interface and aids caregivers in focusing on the patient rather than the technology. As a portable, wireless-capable patient monitor from Philips' IntelliVue family, the IntelliVue MP5 is highly customizable, delivering monitoring power and functionality in a small, ergonomic and sturdy design to match the demands of a wide range of care environments in and out of the hospital. This flexibility gives teams throughout the hospital important information that provides a clearer view of patient status.

The added feature of the IntelliVue Clinical Network, which can span the hospital enterprise, allows for flexible monitoring to serve a broad spectrum of monitoring needs—from patient monitors, telemetry, bedside devices, clinical information systems, and to the central station. When a patient is in transit within the hospital, clinicians at the central station can monitor parameters, alarms and trends remotely.

As the requirements for monitoring change, the IntelliVue MP5 can be equipped with new capabilities. This upgradeability provides the security of knowing that the monitors can be enhanced and updated as practices and technologies advance.

Clinical Decision Support When and Where it is Needed
The Philips HeartStart MRx Monitor/Defibrillator allows hospital staff to organize their resources before a patient even arrives. The innovative system enables paramedics to quickly acquire and wirelessly transmit a patient's 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) data to the emergency department and/or other hospital locations, helping avoid unnecessary delays to treatment.

Once inside the hospital emergency department, the MRx monitor/defibrillator also now provides the capability to communicate real-time patient data wirelessly on the Philips IntelliVue Clinical Network. Beginning upon arrival, and as the patient is transported and awaiting treatment, this industry-first offered in the U.S. provides continuous surveillance of the patient's waveforms and vital signs with a combined device including advanced monitoring, built-in pacing, synchronized cardioversion and defibrillation capabilities.

The HeartStart MRx allows hospitals to transport patients who require cardiac monitoring or therapy between departments or within the same unit without changing equipment, potentially resulting in efficiency gains. The MRx can also be used at the bedside in departments that would benefit from having both centralized surveillance and cardiac therapy at their fingertips.

The device is also equipped with Q-CPR technology, the first comprehensive technology that provides real-time cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) monitoring and feedback for advanced life support (ALS) - trained responders. Q-CPR offers medical professionals corrective feedback on the rate and depth of chest compressions, as well as the frequency and quality of ventilations (breaths), encouraging them to adjust their technique, as needed, to improve CPR performance.

1 Wheeler AP, Bernard GR. Treating patients with severe sepsis. N Engl J Med 1999;340:207-214.
2 Parrillo JE, Parker MM, Natanson C, et al. Septic shock in humans: advances in the understanding of pathogenesis, cardiovascular dysfunction, and therapy. Ann Intern Med 1990;113:227-242.
3 The Philips seminar has been approved by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) for three contact hours, Category A, file number 00013799

SOURCE: Royal Philips Electronics