Dr. Scott Stringer is the Medical Director at ACC Care Center and an expert in keeping seniors out of the hospital. As a former emergency room physician, Dr. Stringer treated patients during the “golden hour,” the period of time following a traumatic injury when medical care has the highest likelihood of preventing expensive hospital stays and death. As such, early intervention has become a common theme in the treatment of sepsis, stroke, heart attacks, heart failure, and many other medical conditions.
This is especially true at ACC Care Center which presents a unique opportunity to treat reversible conditions before they become much worse or even fatal.
There is a cost benefit too. Hospital care accounts for a whopping 33% of all health care spending in the U.S. This number has always bothered Dr. Stringer who believes that good care can and should be delivered at a lower cost. That means treating patients early enough to prevent hospitalization or, in many cases, readmission.
Sepsis is a common diagnosis for seniors being admitted to hospitals from skilled nursing facilities. “Treating sepsis is the most expensive form of hospital care, not to mention very traumatic for families,” says Dr. Stringer. “People can be in the hospital for months.”
Sepsis is the body’s reaction to bacterial blood infection caused by pneumonia, urinary tract infections, the flu, or even a cut or a scrape. Septic shock sets in when blood pressure drops, reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches your vital organs. Detected too late, it will often lead to death.
“I think the biggest initiative I brought to ACC was teaching the nurses about sepsis,” says Dr. Stringer.
Sepsis is treated with antibiotics given intravenously. Fluids are also given to patients to prevent blood pressure from falling and inducing septic shock. “But,” says Dr. Stringer, “there’s an old quote, ‘sepsis is hard to recognize in the beginning and easy to treat. But, as it becomes more advanced, it gets easier to recognize, but a lot harder to treat.’ Late stages of sepsis are often irreversible.”
Dr. Stringer did not want his patients at ACC Care Center to be just another statistic. “I think the biggest initiative I brought to ACC was teaching the nurses about sepsis, recognizing acute infections and being aggressive.”
He says that even subtle changes in a person’s mood, mental state, and vital signs could be early warning signs. “For that matter, every employee at ACC is in a position to notice if anything is not right about a patient.”
Dr. Stringer has given talks in the community about addressing infections in the elderly and showed how quickly people above the age of 70 can become septic.
“Unfortunately, by the time someone gets transported to the hospital, the golden hour may have already passed,” says Dr. Stringer. “Training employees in early detection and using advance antibiotic therapy at ACC Care Center give patients every opportunity to reverse the process. Patients might still go to the hospital but with a much better outlook physically and financially.”
Early Warning Signs of Sepsis
- Confusion or disorientation
- Shortness of breath
- High heart rate
- Fever, or shivering, or feeling very cold
- Extreme pain or discomfort
- Clammy or sweaty skin
Source: CDC
Thanks for the information. In our daily life, old people don’t get proper treatment, food & medicine from time to time. They need care and comfort to lead a healthy life without worries. Eldercare industry provides loving care to senior citizens.