Sepsis is a condition most of us have heard of but may not know much about. In fact, just 28% people in Ireland can actually define sepsis, according to a poll carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and the Roy Staunton Foundation in 2018.
Although the poll is quite dated, Professor Steve Kerrigan, head of the Cardiovascular Infection Research Group at the RCSI, who was involved in the 2018 research, says that in 2025 there is still “an extreme urgency to start getting people to understand what the condition is.
“[Many] people still don’t know how to how to spot sepsis, and by the time they get to their GP or even to the emergency room, they’re in a really bad state,” explains Steve.
Sepsis is a medical emergency that occurs when the body’s immune system has a sudden and overwhelming reaction to an infection. It leads to an inflammatory reaction in the body, and can cause organ failure, tissue damage, and death.
Professor Steve Kerrigan, head of the Cardiovascular Infection Research Group at RCSI.
According to the HSE National Sepsis Report 2023, there were 15,722 cases of sepsis and septic shock diagnosed in Ireland that year. Nearly 20% of those people died.
Sepsis needs to be caught early because every delay of one hour in starting treatment increases the risk of death by 8%.
Signs of sepsis can easily be confused with flu symptoms or a chest infection. These include confusion or disorientation, shortness of breath, a rapid heart rate, fever and pain all over the body.
“A telltale sign that somebody has sepsis is when they say: ‘I’ve never been this sick in my life. I think I’m going to die’,” says Steve.
Preventable condition
Sarah O’Reilly died from complications of sepsis in 2022. She was 34-years-old. The condition developed as a result of an infection in her gallbladder which was caused by a gall stone blocking her bile duct. This then caused a back-up in her pancreas which led to pancreatitis.
Sarah, a German native who lived in Bailieborough, Co Cavan, with her husband, Patrick, had recently given birth to twins, Lilly and PJ.
Irish Country Living spoke to her sister-in-law, Sinéad O’Reilly, who is advocating for policy change in sepsis treatment and more awareness about the condition.
Sarah got COVID-19 11 weeks after the twins had been born. “She was only out of isolation and she rang me that morning and said ‘God, I’m really sick. I’ve been up all night now’. I thought she had gallstones so I told her to go to hospital. My mum brought her down because she said she wasn’t even able to drive and Patrick and the twins had COVID-19,” Sinéad recalls.
“Mammy dropped her to Cavan General Hospital and she sat out in the car as you weren’t allowed to bring people in with you. My mum had said, she’s very yellow. I was ringing Sarah throughout the day, and she was in loads of pain.
“By the evening, I rang the hospital and they said she had pancreatitis. They said, she’s in pain, so we gave her painkillers and she’ll settle for the night now.
“I’m a clinical nurse specialist and I never thought it could be sepsis,” says Sinéad. “It didn’t even cross my mind.”
She received a call in the middle of the night saying that Sarah had been transferred to ICU. By the time she got to the hospital, she was told that Sarah was being sent to Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.
Sinéad travelled to Dublin that evening because Patrick and the babies were still in isolation for COVID-19.
There, she was told by intensive care doctors that it would be a miracle if Sarah survived. Patrick was called to Dublin and both of them sat with Sarah that night.
“In the morning, she was still being intubated [when a plastic tube is inserted into the trachea to keep the airways open]. She was on life support and she was so sick.”
Sarah O'Reilly with her newly born twins. She died from sepsis a few weeks later.
Sarah’s condition continued to deteriorate, but still there was no mention of sepsis. “She got every complication, and she died 11 weeks later. The twins were 22-weeks-old,” says Sinéad.
“People can die in 12 hours from sepsis but I do believe, because Sarah was fighting for her babies, she defied logic. “What she came through each time, she was so sick but she kept rallying around, she was going nowhere. She didn’t want to die. It wasn’t her time. She shouldn’t have gone.
“Up until about six weeks, we were bringing the babies up [to Dublin]. We have pictures of them with her in her ICU bed. But she suffered no end. She was intubated the whole time and never came off the ventilator. She was on dialysis for the best part of it, but she fought so hard.
“Even the medical team were saying that people don’t survive past this stage of pancreatitis. But she kept rallying until finally her liver failed and she died.”
Sinéad and her family only discovered that Sarah had sepsis when they received a copy of her medical notes after her death.
“I was reading her medical notes and it was there in black and white. When she went in [to hospital], Sarah had all the signs and symptoms of sepsis but they weren’t even picked up on until 24 hours later, when she was in ICU with multi-organ failure.
Sarah’s death certificate does not say that her death was as a result of sepsis. “We were told she had multi-organ failure from pancreatitis. There was no mention of sepsis on the death cert, even though her medical notes stated that she had it – the medical consultant had reviewed her and there were all the signs of sepsis.”
After Sarah’s death, Sinéad founded the North East Sepsis Awareness group with two other women – Hannah Tormey and Catríona Cahill – who were also affected by sepsis. They deliver talks to raise awareness about sepsis in local Women’s Sheds, schools and GAA clubs, and also advocate for improving identification and treatment of the condition across the patient care pathway.
“We should be treating sepsis like we treat strokes and heart attacks,” says Sinéad, “but the Action on Sepsis: Five Year Strategy (2024-2029) has still not been published.” The HSE told Irish Country Living that this is “going through the approval process within the HSE and will subsequently be published.”
Like Steve Kerrigan, Sinéad also stresses numerous times that sepsis is a preventable public health problem and can be treated in hospital with antibiotics, IV fluids and close monitoring.
“We have to change the mindset that this is something you have to die from. Sepsis is something you can survive, once you get treatment,” says Sinéad.
Patrick O'Reilly with his daughter Lilly at the St Patrick's Day parade 2025 to raise awareness about sepsis. \Ollie Gargan
“It’s probably the grief but I just want to be able to turn around and say to the babies when they’re older, we didn’t take this one lying down. Sarah didn’t die in vain. Hopefully she will save lives, even if she saves one life.”
Farmers are vulnerable
Steve is keen to raise awareness of sepsis among farmers, a group who are regularly exposed to a range of infectious agents through their close contact with animals, soil, water, and organic waste.
“Farmers often have cuts or scrapes on their skin, and if that is not cleaned, that means you have an open blood vessel.
“Even minor injuries sustained during farm work can serve as entry points for these pathogens, increasing the risk of serious infections that can progress to sepsis if not promptly cleaned and treated quickly.
“I would advise farmers to invest €20 in a first aid kit and to leave it in the tractor. If you cut yourself, just get the alcohol wipe and clean it. Stick your plaster on it, if it’s bleeding. Keep water in the tractor, and wash your hands. Keep washing your hands. It’s very simple but it can make all the difference.”
HSE Response
The HSE told Irish Country Living that staff training for sepsis management for adults and children is mandatory for all clinical staff caring for inpatients with sepsis and/or septic shock or suspected to have sepsis and/or septic shock.
“In 2023, hospitals that reported staff training to the national programme recorded a compliance rate of 85-94%, combined, for relevant clinical staff (nursing/midwives/medical staff).
“The mandatory training must be completed every three years,” says the HSE. “We are currently compiling this information for 2024 and 2025.
“I often get asked by the public: what way do I handle this if I went to the emergency room?” says Professor Steve Kerrigan. “There are seven questions absolutely everybody should ask if they fear they may have sepsis.”
1. Are you checking for an infection that might have spread to the blood?
2. Will blood tests be done to check for signs of inflammation or infection?
3. Is there a plan to identify where the infection is coming from?
4. Have antibiotics been started?
5. Do I need IV fluids or medications to support blood pressure?
6. How will you monitor for worsening sepsis or organ dysfunction?
7. Will a specialist (like infectious disease, critical care, or surgery) be involved if needed?
If you are sent home, ask the following three questions:
1. What are the next steps if the infection is not responding?
2. What should we watch for after going home?
3. How will we follow up after this visit?
Call 112 or 999 or go to an emergency department (ED) if you notice symptoms of sepsis, or are very unwell.
Sepsis is a condition most of us have heard of but may not know much about. In fact, just 28% people in Ireland can actually define sepsis, according to a poll carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and the Roy Staunton Foundation in 2018.
Although the poll is quite dated, Professor Steve Kerrigan, head of the Cardiovascular Infection Research Group at the RCSI, who was involved in the 2018 research, says that in 2025 there is still “an extreme urgency to start getting people to understand what the condition is.
“[Many] people still don’t know how to how to spot sepsis, and by the time they get to their GP or even to the emergency room, they’re in a really bad state,” explains Steve.
Sepsis is a medical emergency that occurs when the body’s immune system has a sudden and overwhelming reaction to an infection. It leads to an inflammatory reaction in the body, and can cause organ failure, tissue damage, and death.
Professor Steve Kerrigan, head of the Cardiovascular Infection Research Group at RCSI.
According to the HSE National Sepsis Report 2023, there were 15,722 cases of sepsis and septic shock diagnosed in Ireland that year. Nearly 20% of those people died.
Sepsis needs to be caught early because every delay of one hour in starting treatment increases the risk of death by 8%.
Signs of sepsis can easily be confused with flu symptoms or a chest infection. These include confusion or disorientation, shortness of breath, a rapid heart rate, fever and pain all over the body.
“A telltale sign that somebody has sepsis is when they say: ‘I’ve never been this sick in my life. I think I’m going to die’,” says Steve.
Preventable condition
Sarah O’Reilly died from complications of sepsis in 2022. She was 34-years-old. The condition developed as a result of an infection in her gallbladder which was caused by a gall stone blocking her bile duct. This then caused a back-up in her pancreas which led to pancreatitis.
Sarah, a German native who lived in Bailieborough, Co Cavan, with her husband, Patrick, had recently given birth to twins, Lilly and PJ.
Irish Country Living spoke to her sister-in-law, Sinéad O’Reilly, who is advocating for policy change in sepsis treatment and more awareness about the condition.
Sarah got COVID-19 11 weeks after the twins had been born. “She was only out of isolation and she rang me that morning and said ‘God, I’m really sick. I’ve been up all night now’. I thought she had gallstones so I told her to go to hospital. My mum brought her down because she said she wasn’t even able to drive and Patrick and the twins had COVID-19,” Sinéad recalls.
“Mammy dropped her to Cavan General Hospital and she sat out in the car as you weren’t allowed to bring people in with you. My mum had said, she’s very yellow. I was ringing Sarah throughout the day, and she was in loads of pain.
“By the evening, I rang the hospital and they said she had pancreatitis. They said, she’s in pain, so we gave her painkillers and she’ll settle for the night now.
“I’m a clinical nurse specialist and I never thought it could be sepsis,” says Sinéad. “It didn’t even cross my mind.”
She received a call in the middle of the night saying that Sarah had been transferred to ICU. By the time she got to the hospital, she was told that Sarah was being sent to Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.
Sinéad travelled to Dublin that evening because Patrick and the babies were still in isolation for COVID-19.
There, she was told by intensive care doctors that it would be a miracle if Sarah survived. Patrick was called to Dublin and both of them sat with Sarah that night.
“In the morning, she was still being intubated [when a plastic tube is inserted into the trachea to keep the airways open]. She was on life support and she was so sick.”
Sarah O'Reilly with her newly born twins. She died from sepsis a few weeks later.
Sarah’s condition continued to deteriorate, but still there was no mention of sepsis. “She got every complication, and she died 11 weeks later. The twins were 22-weeks-old,” says Sinéad.
“People can die in 12 hours from sepsis but I do believe, because Sarah was fighting for her babies, she defied logic. “What she came through each time, she was so sick but she kept rallying around, she was going nowhere. She didn’t want to die. It wasn’t her time. She shouldn’t have gone.
“Up until about six weeks, we were bringing the babies up [to Dublin]. We have pictures of them with her in her ICU bed. But she suffered no end. She was intubated the whole time and never came off the ventilator. She was on dialysis for the best part of it, but she fought so hard.
“Even the medical team were saying that people don’t survive past this stage of pancreatitis. But she kept rallying until finally her liver failed and she died.”
Sinéad and her family only discovered that Sarah had sepsis when they received a copy of her medical notes after her death.
“I was reading her medical notes and it was there in black and white. When she went in [to hospital], Sarah had all the signs and symptoms of sepsis but they weren’t even picked up on until 24 hours later, when she was in ICU with multi-organ failure.
Sarah’s death certificate does not say that her death was as a result of sepsis. “We were told she had multi-organ failure from pancreatitis. There was no mention of sepsis on the death cert, even though her medical notes stated that she had it – the medical consultant had reviewed her and there were all the signs of sepsis.”
After Sarah’s death, Sinéad founded the North East Sepsis Awareness group with two other women – Hannah Tormey and Catríona Cahill – who were also affected by sepsis. They deliver talks to raise awareness about sepsis in local Women’s Sheds, schools and GAA clubs, and also advocate for improving identification and treatment of the condition across the patient care pathway.
“We should be treating sepsis like we treat strokes and heart attacks,” says Sinéad, “but the Action on Sepsis: Five Year Strategy (2024-2029) has still not been published.” The HSE told Irish Country Living that this is “going through the approval process within the HSE and will subsequently be published.”
Like Steve Kerrigan, Sinéad also stresses numerous times that sepsis is a preventable public health problem and can be treated in hospital with antibiotics, IV fluids and close monitoring.
“We have to change the mindset that this is something you have to die from. Sepsis is something you can survive, once you get treatment,” says Sinéad.
Patrick O'Reilly with his daughter Lilly at the St Patrick's Day parade 2025 to raise awareness about sepsis. \Ollie Gargan
“It’s probably the grief but I just want to be able to turn around and say to the babies when they’re older, we didn’t take this one lying down. Sarah didn’t die in vain. Hopefully she will save lives, even if she saves one life.”
Farmers are vulnerable
Steve is keen to raise awareness of sepsis among farmers, a group who are regularly exposed to a range of infectious agents through their close contact with animals, soil, water, and organic waste.
“Farmers often have cuts or scrapes on their skin, and if that is not cleaned, that means you have an open blood vessel.
“Even minor injuries sustained during farm work can serve as entry points for these pathogens, increasing the risk of serious infections that can progress to sepsis if not promptly cleaned and treated quickly.
“I would advise farmers to invest €20 in a first aid kit and to leave it in the tractor. If you cut yourself, just get the alcohol wipe and clean it. Stick your plaster on it, if it’s bleeding. Keep water in the tractor, and wash your hands. Keep washing your hands. It’s very simple but it can make all the difference.”
HSE Response
The HSE told Irish Country Living that staff training for sepsis management for adults and children is mandatory for all clinical staff caring for inpatients with sepsis and/or septic shock or suspected to have sepsis and/or septic shock.
“In 2023, hospitals that reported staff training to the national programme recorded a compliance rate of 85-94%, combined, for relevant clinical staff (nursing/midwives/medical staff).
“The mandatory training must be completed every three years,” says the HSE. “We are currently compiling this information for 2024 and 2025.
“I often get asked by the public: what way do I handle this if I went to the emergency room?” says Professor Steve Kerrigan. “There are seven questions absolutely everybody should ask if they fear they may have sepsis.”
1. Are you checking for an infection that might have spread to the blood?
2. Will blood tests be done to check for signs of inflammation or infection?
3. Is there a plan to identify where the infection is coming from?
4. Have antibiotics been started?
5. Do I need IV fluids or medications to support blood pressure?
6. How will you monitor for worsening sepsis or organ dysfunction?
7. Will a specialist (like infectious disease, critical care, or surgery) be involved if needed?
If you are sent home, ask the following three questions:
1. What are the next steps if the infection is not responding?
2. What should we watch for after going home?
3. How will we follow up after this visit?
Call 112 or 999 or go to an emergency department (ED) if you notice symptoms of sepsis, or are very unwell.
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