A blood test is being tested to quickly determine if a patient has sepsis, which could be a breakthrough in the difficult-to-diagnose condition.
Sepsis, which occurs when the immune system becomes susceptible to infection, kills around 48,000 people in the UK each year. More people die each year from breast, prostate, and colon cancer combined. In severe cases, it can kill within hours.
The test can produce results in less than 45 minutes and costs between £20 and £30.
The key to the process is the cells called neutrophils, the first line of defense against infection in the body. The cells monitor the circulation, looking for potential threats.
When activated during infection a