USA Health embraces new tool for diagnosing sepsis

By Carol McPhail
[email protected]

Diagnosing sepsis early can mean the difference between life and death, as illustrated in the recent sudden passing of NASCAR driver Kyle Busch.

USA Health is leading the way in recognizing sepsis with a new diagnostic tool, the TriVerity Test System, which uses a small blood sample to make a quick and accurate diagnosis of the life-threatening condition. This past November, University Hospital became the first and only facility in Alabama to implement the new system.

“The sooner we can catch sepsis and begin treatment, the lower the risk of dying from sepsis,” said Christa Hewett, BSN, RN, sepsis coordinator for University Hospital. “The problem is that sepsis can be difficult to diagnosis because it can look different from person to person, and there is no gold-standard test for diagnosing sepsis.”

It’s estimated that sepsis – caused by the body’s extreme response to infection – affects more than 1.7 million people in the U.S. each year. The signs and symptoms of sepsis include a high heart rate or weak pulse, fever, shivering or feeling cold, confusion or disorientation, shortness of breath, extreme pain or discomfort, and clammy or sweaty skin.

Providers typically make a diagnosis by evaluating a patient’s symptoms, taking a health history, running blood and urine tests, and conducting imaging to locate the site of infection. However, there was no rapid, specific lab test to confirm a sepsis diagnosis. Bacteria cultures can be very helpful but take days to return results.

The TriVerity system, developed by California-based Inflammatix, measures the body’s immune response to infection in about 30 minutes using a blood sample and AI algorithms that analyze biomarkers to distinguish between bacterial and viral infections and non-infectious inflammation. The system also predicts illness severity in patients with suspected infection or sepsis. No other current test does this.

“It is a helpful tool for determining whether a patient needs to be admitted to the hospital and, if so, what level of care they require,” said Hewett, who also serves as quality and performance improvement coordinator at University Hospital. “This helps us ensure that patients are getting the care they need quickly and also helps to avoid unnecessary admissions to the hospital, which frees up hospital beds for patients who really need them.”

University Hospital served as one of 22 emergency departments in the U.S. and Europe to participate in the SEPSIS-SHIELD study, which confirmed the TriVerity system’s reliability in a clinical setting. The results were published in Nature Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal, in September 2025 in a study co-authored by Edward A. Panacek, M.D., MPH, professor and chair of emergency medicine and interim chair of pathology at USA Health.

Panacek is now leading a new study of the test. “It is looking at how often the test helps physicians make very early diagnoses of sepsis and best treatment decisions.”

Josh Snow, MSHA, chief executive officer of University Hospital, said the hospital’s participation in the study and implementation of the TriVerity system demonstrates USA Health’s commitment to improving outcomes for patients.

“When it comes to sepsis, early and precise detection can make all the difference,” Snow said. “This technology equips our clinicians with the critical insights they need to respond quickly and with confidence.”

Hewett credited several departments with implementing TriVerity – in particular, the lab at University Hospital, which created guidelines and worked through the logistical challenges of implementing the new system.