Mother-of-two Anna Tilley survived after spending four days in intensive care with blood poisoning , pictured with her son Harry . Patients ’ lives are at risk from blood poisoning because hospitals are not implementing a standard treatment that can double their chances of survival , experts have warned . Sepsis , previously known as septicaemia , affects more than 100,000 Britons a year and kills 37,000 – more than breast , bowel and prostate cancer combined . Now a snapshot NHS study reveals that on one surgical ward at a leading teaching hospital , 90 per cent of patients failed to get the correct treatment , involving a simple set of lifesaving measures known as Sepsis Six . After high-profile campaigns in 2013 which exposed the shocking death rates , the method was officially recommended by NHS England . Yet an audit , revealed at the annual president ’ s meeting of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in March , showed that vital steps in the process are being missed , meaning the condition was more likely to take hold with fatal consequences . The College is now calling for nationwide tracking of the protocol to weed out hospitals that are failing to tackle the problem . Sepsis Six involves blood tests to check for infection ; testing the level of lactate , a chemical produced when cells are starved of oxygen ; giving oxygen and IV fluids to protect organs and raise dangerously low blood pressure ; checking urine hourly to monitor fluid levels and kidney function ; and administering antibiotics to clear any underlying infection . The study of 23 patients with sepsis at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary revealed just one in ten had their lactate levels tested . Only 40 per cent were given oxygen , and staff failed to measure urine output in nearly a third of cases . Dr Ron Daniels , chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust who helped devise Sepsis Six , warns that , despite being a small sample , the finding of the study was far from unusual . ‘ Sadly this and other studies show patients are not getting access to a treatment that saves lives . Every one of the six steps is vitally important , and nothing should be missed out. ’ Some 90 per cent of patients were not given correct treatment to prevent blood poisoning on a surgical ward at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary , an NHS study revealed . Sepsis occurs when the immune system overreacts to an infection , causing multiple organ failure if not treated quickly . It can be triggered by an infection in any part of the body , most commonly the lungs , urinary tract , abdomen and pelvis . It is often a problem that develops while in hospital , after surgery . Those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or cancer are at increased risk . Symptoms include slurred speech , muscle pain , mottled or discoloured skin , poor urine output and severe breathlessness . ‘ Delays in the identification and treatment of sepsis can have serious consequences for patients , ’ says Dr Seng Wong , who carried out the Edinburgh audit . His research also found Sepsis Six awareness improved after a three-month staff training and a poster campaign . More than half of subsequent patients had their lactate measured , 60 per cent were given oxygen and 90 per cent had their urine measured . Mother-of-two Anna Tilley knows only too well the importance of staff awareness . Four days after Anna developed a sore throat , aches and pains and a high temperature , she was hallucinating , had a mottled rash and was struggling to breathe . ‘ My parents carried me to the doctor ’ s and insisted my GP call an ambulance , ’ says Anna . ‘ At A & E I waited four hours in a side room . Although I had typical symptoms of sepsis , none of the doctors recognised I was dying. ’ The 26-year-old from West Sussex says she was just hours from death when a quick-thinking doctor spotted the danger signs . Anna spent four days in intensive care on oxygen and antibiotics after her liver , kidneys and pancreas all failed . ‘ I later learned that without treatment , I would have died in my sleep that night , ’ Anna adds . ‘ Awareness needs to be raised of this awful condition , which takes so many lives . ’
Experts have warned hospitals not using standard treatment for sepsis . Blood poisoning affects more than 100,000 Britons a year and kills Six . 10 % of patients at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary ward given correct treatment . Sepsis 37,000 involves blood tests to check for infection and monitoring urine .