Changes need to be made in how Manitoba treats sepsis, says man who almost died from the disease

A Winnipeg sepsis survivor says he’d like to see Manitoba follow Nova Scotia and see how it deals with the condition that nearly killed him nine years ago.

“I came out of it a better person in many ways, but it cost me and my family a lot for a while,” Mac Horsburgh told CBC News.

A cyst on Horsburgh’s finger was mistaken for inflammation and was left untreated for several days, after which he died. The infection reached his bloodstream, weakening a vessel and forming an aneurysm that burst.

At that time he was experiencing the most serious condition sepsis -An extreme physical response to an infection that can lead to organ failure, tissue damage, and death.

Horsburgh’s doctors told his family that they did not expect him to survive. But after surgery, 10 days in a coma, three weeks in the intensive care unit and more than a week in the recovery unit, Horsburgh was discharged.

He said, “I was happy to be alive, but at the same time I was angry that a simple infection in my finger could cause such trauma to me and my family.”

For years, Horsburgh did not know that sepsis was what nearly killed her, and she has since learned that it could have been prevented if the infection had been treated earlier.

“Medical care services saved my life, but early on, medical care also created problems for me,” he said. “I struggle with the idea that we’re not doing enough for sepsis patients.”

But with a recent plan to speed up sepsis treatment in Nova Scotia, Horsburgh sees an opportunity for change in Manitoba too.

Changes in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia’s health system is making changes to allow nurses and paramedics in emergency rooms and urgent care centers to start antibiotic treatment for a patient suffering from sepsis — without a doctor’s order.

Nova Scotia ERs once had the ability to administer medication to sepsis patients immediately after triage, but that’s no longer the case because of increasing wait times, said Dr. Vanessa Sweet, an anesthesiologist and co-lead of the province’s Sepsis Action Improvement Plan.

Nova Scotia began testing its new sepsis response in July 2024 and rolled it out across the province in September.

The hope is to speed up response times to treatment for the disease, which Sweet said has become the leading cause of hospital deaths in the province.

“The sooner we can move that critical piece during the patient’s visit to the emergency department, the better,” he said.

“You can get into a situation where your blood pressure gets dangerously low and various organs start to stop working.”

Nova Scotia has equipped health-care centers with sepsis treatment kits, as well as introduced a standardized protocol for detecting the disease.

The province also now offers information packages for sepsis patients during recovery – Horsburgh said this will help if they are discharged with a little information.

“My life had become a big puzzle, but I was missing a lot of pieces,” he said.

‘Actions speak louder than words’

Aaccording to Canadian Sepsis FoundationSepsis accounts for one in 18 deaths in Canada, making it the 12th leading cause of death nationally.

This is one of the most common reasons Admission to Winnipeg’s intensive care units, says an infectious disease and critical care physician.

While the sickest patients with sepsis are treated almost immediately, those with mild infections usually have to wait longer in the ER for a doctor, who can order antibiotics, Dr. Sylvain Lothar said.

But giving nurses and paramedics — who are usually the first to detect the disease — the power to start treatment early could help prevent serious complications for patients with moderate infections, he said.

“Getting tested more quickly and starting treatment immediately can improve symptoms much faster,” Lowther said.

But any changes must come with staff training and protocols in place to ensure the correct medications are administered, he said.

“If we prescribe an antibiotic that … is not potent enough, it’s not killing the bacteria. We know it almost doubles the risk of mortality,” Lowther said.

“On the other hand, overuse of antibiotics causes organisms to become resistant, and then we have problems … where future infections may be more challenging to treat.”

In manitoba, nurses According to Shared Health, lab work to test for sepsis can be started in the emergency room if it is suspected. But antibiotics or IV treatments must be ordered by a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner or clinical assistant before they can be administered.

A spokesperson for the health minister said the province is focused on ensuring that all patients suffering from sepsis receive the same treatment across Manitoba.

The spokesperson said the province is considering expanding who can prescribe sepsis medications in the future, but did not give a timeline.

The Manitoba Nurses Union is in favor of allowing nurses to order sepsis medication.

“Like a stroke, timing is of the essence,” said union president Darlene Jackson. “If you can start those procedures and those protocols quickly, your patient has a better chance of making a full recovery.”

Horsburgh is encouraged by the fact that the province is exploring options to improve sepsis care, but his optimism is cautious.

“Words are one thing,” he said. “Actions speak louder than words. So I’ll still wait and see.”