News Health & Medicine

Sepsis tests take days, putting patients at risk. A new method may cut wait time

The test is crucial to figuring out what is causing a bloodstream infection, and fighting it

A stock photograph of a nurse holding two tubes of blood. In the background, a patient in a green shirt holds a cotton ball to their arm after having blood drawn.

A nurse holds tubes of collected blood from a patient. A new method of sepsis testing could speed treatment that targets the specific bacteria causing a blood infection.

FluxFactory/Getty Images

By Claire Yuan

When bloodstream infections set in, fast treatment is crucial — but it can take several days to identify the bacteria responsible.