Who We Are
Our Leadership
Our Commitment
Our Campuses
Why LSU?
Ready to Apply?
Learn More
A New Sepsis Test Based on LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Health Research Is Saving Lives and Costs
Sepsis is the leading cause of death in hospitals nationwide, and Louisiana has the highest mortality rates in the nation.
Sepsis is more deadly than opioid overdoses, breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, and is the leading cause of hospital admission and readmission. It’s also one of the most difficult diseases to diagnose.
Time is the primary challenge in sepsis care. Every hour that passes before a patient with sepsis receives treatment makes it eight percent more likely they’ll die. The life expectancy of people with untreated sepsis is three days or less.
8%
Increase in the chance a patient with sepsis will die with every hour that passes without treatment
10
Time in minutes for new sepsis test to return results indicating a high, intermediate, or low probability of sepsis
In under 10 minutes, the new sepsis diagnosis test provides results that can empower emergency department teams to make time-sensitive decisions and create life-saving outcomes for patients.
Sepsis happens when the immune system overreacts to a serious infection, attacking more than just the infection itself. Like heart attacks and strokes, sepsis is a medical emergency and must be treated quickly and properly for survival. If not treated early enough, it can result in tissue damage, organ failure and death.
— Images provided by Cytovale
When a person starts having sepsis, the change in their white blood cells occurs before there is any sign of organ damage, making early sepsis detection critical. Using only one or two drops of blood, the sepsis test returns results in less than 10 minutes and indicate a high, intermediate, or low probability of sepsis, giving physicians the information they need to make faster and more accurate treatment decisions.
Mortality from sepsis increases as much as 8% for every hour that treatment is delayed. As many as 80% of sepsis deaths could be prevented with rapid diagnosis and treatment – making early detection essential.
Dr. Hollis ‘Bud’ O’Neal of LSU Health New Orleans was the national principal investigator for the work that led to the creation of the sepsis test.
Much of the research and clinical studies for this new technology took place in Baton Rouge, at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and its Emergency Department. Since 2015, Our Lady of the Lake has partnered with Cytovale on more than half a dozen studies that led to this groundbreaking tool, its IntelliSep® test.
“IntelliSep is truly a game changer,” said Dr. O’Neal, who started work on a rapid test for sepsis in 2014. “The test provides hospital staff with information needed to identify and treat septic patients efficiently and reduce the financial and health burdens of overtreatment for hospitals and patients.”
Dr. O’Neal, who completed his medical studies and is a faculty member at LSU Health New Orleans, serves as a critical care physician and medical director of research at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.
Early detection of sepsis is an invaluable capability for healthcare professionals. Quickly identifying sepsis is critical to saving lives, but until now, we’ve lacked a reliable tool to either recognize the condition or explore alternate diagnoses.
- Dr. Hollis ‘Bud’ O’Neal
What’s been really special about the work with Dr. O’Neal and LSU has been their continuous focus on making sure the collaborative research and development we did together was always focused on patient needs. They’ve been the best partner we could have asked for.
- Ajay Shah, CEO, Cytovale
After six months (with the sepsis test), our results show that a higher percentage of patients are returning home to their families earlier, at lower cost for them and the hospital. Just our ability to improve patient flow has been revolutionary.
- Dr. Christopher Thomas, chief quality officer for Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System
Data has shown that up to 80 percent of sepsis deaths could be prevented with rapid sepsis diagnosis and treatment.
The sepsis test was created by Cytovale, a medical diagnostics company that worked in concert with the team at LSU and LSU’s Championship Health Partner Our Lady of the Lake Health during the clinical development of the test. Our Lady of the Lake Health, which now has two Cytovale machines, has been using the test on patients since it was implemented in August 2023.
Developing a test that receives FDA approval is one thing, while using that test in a hospital setting is entirely another, said Dr. Christopher Thomas, vice president and chief quality officer for Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System.
“To deliver sepsis care at a world-class level, we need consistency and repeatability—we need process and continuous learning,” he said. “Essentially, we’re saying to our teams that sepsis is just as critical as trauma, stroke and heart attacks. We need everyone to start a standard process as early as possible using the test.”
-Elsa Hahne/LSU
The groundbreaking sepsis test, and the partnership that made it happen, is one of many examples of LSU teams winning for Louisiana's health.
LSU's successes are shaping our state and the world in remarkable ways. As we build teams that win in Louisiana, the nation, and the world, we put our state and its citizens on firmer footing for a brighter tomorrow. Your journey starts here.
