Rapid Sepsis Test Boosts ED Discharge Rates

Medscape

3 days ago

TOPLINE:
A rapid host response sepsis test, IntelliSep, when implemented early in triage across emergency departments (EDs), led to a significant increase in discharge rates and hospital-free days.
METHODOLOGY:
Researchers integrated the IntelliSep host response test into the screening of 4650 patients who presented with signs of infection at four EDs in Louisiana and Mississippi between 2024 and 2025.
The test measured leukocyte biophysical properties and generated an index (0.1-10.0) from whole blood within 10 minutes. Patients were stratified into three bands on the basis of the risk for sepsis: band 1 (low risk), band 2 (moderate risk), and band 3 (high risk).
Screening was conducted through a nurse-driven triage protocol, followed by a physician-driven protocol, with treatment decisions guided by the test result.
Outcomes were ED discharge rates, 30-day return visits, and return-adjusted hospital-free days.
TAKEAWAY:
Based on the test results, 54.8% of patients were classified as low-risk patients (band 1), 25.7% as intermediate-risk patients (band 2), and 19.6% as high-risk patients (band 3).
From month 1 to month 4, ED discharge rates increased by 55.9% in patients with low risk (from 22.0% to 34.3%; P < .01) and by 78% in those with intermediate risk (from 10.5% to 18.7%; P < .05).
Median return-adjusted hospital-free days increased by 1 day in the overall cohort (from 26.0 to 27.0 days; P < .0001), with a 1-day increase for low-risk patients (from 27.0 to 28.0 days; P < .0001) and a 2-day increase for high-risk patients (from 25.0 to 27.0 days; P < .05).
ED return rates remained unchanged across all risk bands throughout the study period.
Mortality rates among low-risk patients declined from 10.6% at month 1 to 6.3% at month 4 (P < .05).
IN PRACTICE:
"Improving quality of care in the ED required our health system to tackle sepsis — a time-sensitive condition that can be deadly if not addressed quickly. Rapid diagnostics like IntelliSep help our team make better treatment decisions," lead author Christopher Thomas, MD, Vice President and Chief Quality Officer at FMOLHS and critical care physician at LSU Health Sciences Center, said in a press release. "By ruling out sepsis for low-risk patients, we're reducing avoidable admissions and creating bed capacity for critically ill patients," the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
The study was led by Christopher Thomas, MD, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Baton Rouge, Los Angeles. The study was presented at the 2025 Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) Clinical Lab Expo.
LIMITATIONS:
The 4-month rollout limits causal inference and long-term insights. Patients with missing discharge disposition data were excluded from the analysis, which may have affected the completeness of the results.
DISCLOSURES:
One of the study authors is affiliated with Cytovale Inc, the company that developed the IntelliSep test. The authors did not report any funding sources.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.