Sepsis Kills Thousands In Colorado Each Year

DENVER (CBS4)- There is a big push to educate Coloradans about sepsis, a life threatening complication from a blood infection that can lead to death.

Colorado Lieutenant Governor Donna Lynne is spearheading an educational campaign about sepsis that kills about 3,000 people in Colorado each year. The Coalition for Sepsis Survival wants to cut that number in half.

At the state Capitol on Wednesday, the coalition introduced new initiatives to help save lives and spread awareness about the complication from a blood infection that can lead to organ failure.

One mom who lost all four limbs to sepsis pledged her support for the initiatives.

"Fifty percent of the general public have never even heard of the word. Had I known the word sepsis, I would have sought care much earlier. I would have asked the doctors who were taking care of me that night, 'Do I have sepsis? Could it be sepsis?' Patients and health care providers must work together if we are going to successfully fight sepsis," said sepsis survivor Christine Lentz.

The non profit group wants to make Colorado the lowest in the nation for sepsis deaths.