HJBR Jul/Aug 2023

46 JUL / AUG 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs swimming, wading, or participating in water activities like boating in areas with active algal blooms. • Keep pets away: Pets should not be allowed to swim in or drink from water suspected of experiencing an algal bloom. • Wash with soap and water: If you or your pets come into contact with algae-contam- inated water, promptly rinse off with clean water and soap. • Do not consume or cook with affected water: Do not drink, cook, or prepare food with water from areas experiencing algal blooms. • Seek medical attention if necessary: If you or someone you know experiences symp- toms such as rashes, stomach cramps, coughing, nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting after contact with algae-contaminated water, call your doctor or seek medical assis- tance. Sometimes, high exposures of toxins associated with the algae can affect the liver and nervous system. Study Results Validate a Rapid Diagnostic Test for Sepsis in ER Critical care physician Hollis O’Neal, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine’s Baton Rouge campus, presented data that validate a rapid diagnostic test for sepsis at the American Tho- racic Society 2023 International Conference. O’Neal is the national principal investigator of the CV-SQulSH-ED trial, a multi-site prospective study to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the investigational Cytovale System & IntelliSep Test for patients presenting to the emergency department with signs or suspicion of infection. The IntelliSep Test is a microfluidic test that mea- sures the biophysical properties of white blood cells (leukocytes) in conjunction with other labo- ratory findings and clinical assessments to aid in the early detection of sepsis. O’Neal led the prospective, multicenter study of adults presenting to the ED with signs or sus- picion of infection to assess the IntelliSep Test. It provides a test result, called the IntelliSep Index (ISI), in less than 10 minutes in three interpretative bands from a low (Band 1) to high (Band 3) prob- ability of sepsis. IntelliSep results were compared to retrospective judgement of sepsis-3 by an independent panel of critical care, infectious disease, and emergency medicine physicians. Research and clinical personnel were blinded to the ISI results. Clinical outcomes were extracted from the medical record. A total of 572 patients were enrolled in EDs from medical centers in four states. Sepsis was the final diagnosis in 152 patients (26.6%). The prevalence of sepsis in Band 3 was 79 of 160 (49.4%); Band 2, 45 of 160 (28.12%); and Band 1, 28 of 252 (11.1%). Emergency Department phy- sicians diagnosed sepsis in 52 of 152 patients with sepsis and 24 of 420 (5.7%) of patients with- out sepsis. The study showed that ISI provided a rapid, reliable diagnostic aid for sepsis in a popu- lation of patients with signs or suspicion of infec- tion. Based on these data, the United States Food & Drug Administration granted the system 510(k) clearance in December 2022. “Every minute counts when it comes to sep- sis diagnosis, and EDs operate under major time and resource constraints that could impact patient outcomes,” said O’Neal, who also serves as medical director of research at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, LSU Health’s major teaching hospital in Baton Rouge. “These results validate the efficacy and efficiency of Intel- liSep as a diagnostic aid that may improve sep- sis triage when incorporated into existing clini- cal protocols.” According to the National Institutes of Health, sepsis is a person’s overwhelming or impaired whole-body immune response to an insult — bac- terial infections, viral infections such as COVID-19 or influenza, or fungal infections. It is unpredict- able and can progress rapidly. Without prompt treatment, sepsis can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. It’s a serious condi- tion and a leading cause of death in hospitals. It’s also a main reason why people are readmit- ted to the hospital. Each year, according to Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 1.7 million adults in the U.S. develop sepsis, and nearly 270,000 die as a result. The number of sepsis cases per year in the U.S. has been on the rise. Many patients who survive severe sepsis recover completely, but some people can have permanent organ damage. The researchers conclude that, if integrated into a process of clinical decision making, the ISI has the potential to improve the efficiency and efficacy of sepsis care delivery in the Emergency Department. The research was funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Administra- tion for Strategic Preparedness and Response, and Biomedical Advanced Research and Devel- opment Authority, under contract number 75A50119C00072. CIS Names Ryan Hebert as CEO Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) has announced Ryan Hebert, MHA, RT(R), CCIR, as its CEO, effective July 1. For the past two years, Hebert has served as CIS’s chief operating officer. He joined CIS in 2014, beginning as a cath lab director and prac- tice administrator in Luling, and moving into a leadership role as an executive vice president of Cardiovascular Services. In his time at CIS, Hebert’s strategic leadership has been instru- mental in the growth and success of CIS’s hos- pital operations and diagnostic services. He has enhanced the management, supervision, and quality of CIS catheterization labs, including the CIS Ambulatory Surgery Center and Office-Based Lab in Gray, Louisiana. Hebert holds a Master of Healthcare Adminis- tration from Louisiana State University in Shreve- port and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. He is also a certified radiologic technologist. Hebert succeeds David Konur, FACHE, who served as CEO of CIS for 24 years. Konur will now serve as CEO of Cardiovascular Logistics (CVL), a new cardiology platform founded by CIS. n Ryan Hebert, MHA, RT(R), CCIR