Early treatment for sepsis is the most important way to heal, says Colorado nurse

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 1.7 million cases of sepsis every year, leading to 300,000 annual deaths. 

"Sepsis is a potentially lethal condition; especially if it progresses from sepsis to septic shock," Registered Nurse Andy Pietriyk from the North Suburban Medical Center in Thornton said on CBS Colorado. 

To put it simply, sepsis is your body's toxic or severe response to an infection. Anyone can get it, but the very young, those over age 65 and people with chronic medical conditions like cancer or diabetes are more susceptible to sepsis, Pietriyk says. 

"Early treatment is the most important thing" and to get to the emergency room right away, Pietriyk reiterates. If you're cold, have a temperature, feel clammy or have a weak pulse, among other things, you could have sepsis.

He adds, that complications and mortality rates are higher among Black and Latino communities. "That's common in many conditions."

The Sepsis Alliance is working to change that. The organization says implicit bias and structural racism have led to disparities in healthcare. A study published in the Journal of of the American Medical Association finds that people with limited English proficiency (LEP) face multiple barriers and are at risk of worse health outcomes than those who speak English fluently. 

Education and training on sepsis is far from adequate, according to the National Library of Medicine. 

Pietriyk agrees, saying that there is still a lot we don't know about it, "During the progression of my career, I've seen the evolution of sepsis care. It's always changing; we're always learning more and more. I think as we go into the future, the awareness and the care that we're giving for sepsis is only getting better and better."