Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center Screens 5,000th Patient with IntelliSep Sepsis Detection Test
June 20, 2024
Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center is proud to announce a milestone screening of its 5,000th patient using the IntelliSep sepsis detection test. This marks a significant achievement in the fight against sepsis, a leading cause of death in hospitals across the U.S.
The groundbreaking IntelliSep technology, developed in partnership with Cytovale, LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center researchers, is the only FDA-approved sepsis detection tool currently in use at any hospital in the country.
This innovation is already seeing a dramatic impact on patients who present to the emergency department at Our Lady of the Lake.
“From what I’d heard about sepsis, it’s just really scary. God saved my life, and he used the IntelliSep test and the team at Our Lady of the Lake as a tool to do that,” said Terri White, a patient who was one of the first to benefit from the IntelliSep detection tool at the Our Lady of the Lake Emergency Room. “The sepsis test at Our Lady Lake is absolutely a lifesaver. It saved my life. And I know that.”
Sepsis is the body’s extreme overreaction to infection. White blood cells that would typically work to fight off infection instead start attacking vital organs. It can be difficult to detect and is often misdiagnosed. Results from the IntelliSep test are available in 10 minutes and allow emergency room physicians to treat patients as quickly as possible, buying important time that ultimately improves chances of recovery and reduces the time spent in critical care.
“We know that when you come into our hospital and you get this test, if you have sepsis, we’re diagnosing you faster, you’re spending fewer days in our ICU and we’re now seeing that we have a large majority of our patients going home and seeing their families sooner. That’s a big deal,” said Christopher Thomas, MD, Vice President and Chief Quality Officer at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. “The earlier we can figure out how to get you home to your family, the better we’re going to be as a community, and the better we’re going to be in taking care of every patient that we are privileged to serve.”
Since implementing the IntelliSep test, patient outcomes have improved, the average length of stay has been reduced by over a day for general inpatients and over two days for ICU patients. By utilizing the sepsis detection technology, Our Lady of the Lake Health has also reduced healthcare costs by about $1,429 per patient and saved about 31 hours of time on unnecessary testing.
Researchers with Our Lady of the Lake Health and LSU Health began conducting clinical studies in 2014 on the IntelliSep test in partnership with Cytovale. The test received FDA clearance in January 2023 and has been fully operational in the hospital's emergency department since August 2023. The IntelliSep test has fundamentally changed the way sepsis is detected, the time to treatment and recovery time.
About Our Lady of the Lake Health
Our Lady of the Lake Health is a not-for-profit Catholic healthcare ministry based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with more than 7,500 employees committed to serving the Capital Region and building a healthy community through excellence in patient care and education. With an 800-bed Regional Medical Center, a dedicated Children’s Hospital, a 78-bed hospital in Gonzales, Louisiana, two freestanding emergency rooms in outlying parishes, and a 600+ provider Physician Group, Our Lady of the Lake Health provides comprehensive healthcare services for common to complex conditions. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center is a primary teaching site for graduate medical education programs in partnership with LSU, and is recognized in the areas of heart and vascular, trauma and emergency care, stroke, cancer care, minimally invasive procedures, and more. Our Lady of the Lake is part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System and is driven by its mission to serve all God’s people, especially those most in need. For more information, visit ololrmc.com.