CGH staff recognise World Sepsis Day

Cavan Courthouse and Cathedral to be lit pink.

Medical staff at Cavan General Hospital are recognised World Sepsis Day (September 12) with a number of initiatives including seeing several local landmarks lit pink to raise awareness of a condition which, if left unchecked, can prove potentially fatal.

As pink is the sepsis awareness colour, in response the local hospital group launched the 'Light it Up Pink' initiative in 2022, and the organising committee hope to spread the work further throughout the region in the coming years.

Cavan Courthouse and the Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Felim in Cavan Town were lit with the colour pink on Tuesday to mark World Sepsis Day, and will be lit again later tonight (Wednesday, September 13).

Sepsis occurs when the body's response to infection injures its own tissues and organs. It can lead to shock, multi-organ failure and death- especially if not recognised early and treated properly.

Symptoms include slurred speech, confusion or excessive drowsiness; extreme shivering and muscle pain; passing little or no urine; severe breathlessness and racing heartbeat; a feeling that a person is going to die; and a change in skin tone.

For children, the telltale signs are that the child is not feeding; they're vomiting repeatedly; and have not wet a nappy in 12 hours.

Pushing the awareness agenda at Cavan General Hospital are the members of the Sepsis Committee.

The aim to help inform the public also so that medical experts can react better and quicker at times of need is being led by Cavan General's Practice Development Facilitator and Sepsis Committee Secretary, Veronica Cosgrove.

She hopes to engage staff throughout the hospital over the coming weeks in the hope of increasing knowledge about the condition and how it should be treated.

“It is important that both healthcare staff and the public are aware of the signs and symptoms of sepsis and the need for early appropriate treatment,” she says, adding that the 'Light it Up Pink' initiative will this year see “local prominent buildings going pink overnight in support of sepsis awareness. This year the cathedral and courthouse in Cavan are joining this initiative. Going forward we hope other local buildings will go pink to support sepsis awareness”.