Sepsis Innovation: Faster Diagnosis, Earlier Treatment, Better Outcomes
Sepsis remains one of the greatest hidden pressures on the NHS. Each year in the UK, at least 245,000 people develop sepsis, with around 48,000 deaths and almost 80,000 survivors left with life-changing after-effects. Globally, the numbers are starker still: almost 49 million cases and 11 million deaths annually.
Despite major awareness efforts, outcomes for sepsis remain poor. One reason is simple: time is everything. Patients who are diagnosed early are around half as likely to die as those diagnosed late. The challenge for health systems is that sepsis presents non-specifically, often mimicking other conditions. Early, accurate detection is therefore one of the most pressing unmet needs in emergency and acute care.
New frontiers in sepsis diagnostics
Over the past five years, innovation in sepsis diagnostics has accelerated, with several technologies showing genuine potential to change outcomes.
- Ultra-rapid biomarker testing – Abionic’s abioSCOPE platform uses nanofluidic technology to measure Pancreatic Stone Protein (PSP) in just five minutes at the bedside. PSP rises earlier than conventional biomarkers, potentially giving clinicians a vital head start.
- AI-powered scoring tools – Prenosis’ Sepsis ImmunoScore, recently authorised by the FDA, analyses 22 clinical metrics to produce a risk score that predicts rapid progression. Cytovale’s IntelliSep generates a sepsis probability score in under 10 minutes by measuring white blood cell deformability.
- Automated pathogen detection – Deepull’s UllCORE system processes a small whole-blood sample without culture, detecting up to 95% of sepsis pathogens in around one hour. Other AI-driven approaches can identify bacteria and fungi in Gram-stained blood smears with near-laboratory accuracy.
- Wearables and lab-on-chip devices – Prototypes such as the i-CardiAx patch and SepAl wearable use continuous vital sign monitoring and embedded machine learning to deliver early sepsis alerts, in some cases up to 8–10 hours before clinical recognition.
- Low-cost innovations – Researchers in India have developed a gold-nanoparticle test delivering results in 30 minutes at around one quarter the cost of existing assays, highlighting opportunities for scalable use in both resource-poor and high-income systems.
What this means for the NHS
For the NHS, where sepsis admissions already account for more than 1.1 million hospital bed days annually, innovation is not a “nice to have” — it is essential.
- Emergency triage: Rapid biomarker and AI scoring tools could transform A&E decision-making, allowing clinicians to identify and treat sepsis patients earlier, improving survival and reducing ICU admissions.
- Antimicrobial stewardship: Automated pathogen detection can support earlier targeted therapy, reducing unnecessary broad-spectrum antibiotic use and helping to slow antimicrobial resistance.
- Bed utilisation and patient flow: Shortening average length of stay — currently 10 to 19 days for sepsis admissions — could release thousands of beds, easing pressure on elective recovery programmes such as hip and knee replacements.
- Integration into pathways: Wearables and bedside devices offer potential to link with electronic patient records and remote monitoring systems, extending sepsis recognition beyond the hospital and into community care.
Adoption challenges
Innovation in sepsis care is promising, but adoption will depend on evidence. NICE, NHS England, and commissioners will expect not just clinical validation, but also robust economic modelling showing how these technologies reduce mortality, length of stay, and downstream care costs. Coding and reimbursement pathways will need to evolve in parallel, ensuring hospitals are supported to adopt novel diagnostics without financial risk.
This is where expertise matters. With more than 20 years’ experience in NHS coding, reimbursement, and anticipating system change, Health Analytical Solutions Ltd helps medtech innovators bridge the gap between technology and adoption. From health economic analysis to NICE submission support and pathway mapping, we work with developers to demonstrate both clinical impact and system value.
Looking forward
Sepsis will not be solved by innovation alone. Awareness, early recognition, and clinical vigilance remain the cornerstones of care. But the next generation of diagnostics and monitoring tools can shift the dial — giving clinicians the time they need to act, saving lives, and releasing critical NHS capacity.
If your company is developing a diagnostic or technology that could transform sepsis care, we would be delighted to discuss how our 20+ years of NHS expertise can help you build the evidence, strategy, and reimbursement case for success.
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