R 229

2003 -- H 5845 AS AMENDED

Enacted 05/20/03

H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO STUDY THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF SEPSIS AND TO REPORT ITS FINDINGS TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- ESTABLISHING THE SEPSIS INFORMATION ACT

Introduced By: Representatives E Coderre, Ginaitt, Dennigan, and Ajello

Date Introduced: February 11, 2003

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

WHEREAS, Sepsis, with acute organ dysfunction, which is also known as severe sepsis,

is the number one cause of death in the noncoronary intensive care unit with mortality rates

ranging from twenty-eight percent (28%) to fifty percent (50%) or more; and

WHEREAS, More than seven hundred fifty thousand (750,000) Americans develop

severe sepsis each year, which equals more than two thousand (2,000) new cases per day in the

United States; and

WHEREAS, In sepsis, an individual’s blood pressure drops precipitously, which results

in shock, and major organ systems such as the kidneys, liver, lungs, and central nervous system,

stop functioning normally; and

WHEREAS, A change in mental status and hyperventilation may be the earliest signs of

impending sepsis; and

WHEREAS, The number of cases are expected to increase due to increased awareness

and sensitivity for the diagnosis of the condition, the number of patients with compromised

immune systems, the use of invasive medical procedures, the number of resistant

microorganisms, and the growth of the elderly population; and

WHEREAS, The science of sepsis is better understood and the provider community now

realizes that it is more than simple inflammation in response to bacterial infection; and

WHEREAS, There is currently one United States Federal Drug Administration approved

treatment for severe sepsis. While this treatment improves outcomes in many cases, it is

underutilized due to a lack of awareness among health care providers and the public as well as

cost because of the lack of diagnosis coding and the absence of reimbursement through private

and public insurance programs for treatment of sepsis; and

WHEREAS, Severe sepsis is a common and frequently fatal and expensive disease if left

untreated; and

WHEREAS, It is necessary to develop information concerning the disease known as

“sepsis”. It is also necessary to establish a means to collect data concerning the incidence of

sepsis in medical facilities licensed and regulated by the department of health to prevent the

occurrence of the disease in patients in these facilities, and to ensure access to improved

treatments for sepsis through education of health care providers, patients, and the public about

this condition and its treatment; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the department of health shall compile reports from hospitals,

laboratories and physicians regarding information on sepsis, and post such reports on its website

known as www.health.ri.gov; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the department of health shall study the epidemiology of sepsis in the

state of Rhode Island from the years, 1988 to 2002, such study to be based on the methods used in

the "Epidemiology of Sepsis in the United States from 1979 through 2000", as reported in the

New England Journal of Medicine on April 17, 2003; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the department of health shall report the results of its study to the general

assembly on or before September 1, 2003.

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LC01384/2

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