The small microfluidic sensor can detect a biomarker for sepsis called interleukin-6 (IL-6) in tiny volumes of blood within approximately 25 minutes. The device could provide an inexpensive and more sensitive alternative to current point-of-care systems for the detection of sepsis, which kills nearly 250,000 patients in the U.S every year.
Sepsis requires a fast diagnosis for effective management
Sepsis arises when the immune system triggers a chain of inflammation reactions throughout the body in response to infection. The potentially fatal response causes a high heart rate, severe fever, shortness of breath and can cause septic shock, where blood pressure drops and organs shut down and fail.
