Sepsis

Bacteria (purple) in the bloodstream can trigger sepsis, a life-threatening illness. Steve Gschmeissner/ScienceSource hide caption

Shauna Pelfrey talks to her husband, Dorian, while preparing for his dialysis appointment. Lynsey Weatherspoon for NPR hide caption

Randy and Karen O'Burke together at their son's home in Hendersonville, Tenn., last week. "Apparently, I'm pretty much of a miracle," Randy says. Morgan Hornsby for NPR hide caption

Without including a "control group" of sepsis patients who get the usual mix of drugs and fluids, even a big study comparing two other experimental approaches won't deliver helpful answers, critics say. Portra Images/Getty Images hide caption

Dr. Paul Marik (left) discusses patient care with medical students and resident physicians during morning rounds at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in 2014 in Norfolk, Va. Jay Westcott for The Washington Post/Getty Images hide caption

Rosemary Grant is a registered nurse and helps coordinate sepsis care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The center's goal, she says, is to get a patient who might be developing sepsis antibiotics within three hours. Ian C. Bates for NPR hide caption

Kristopher Kelly near his home in Concrete, Wash., in February. He broke his pelvis and all his ribs in a work accident last year. The resulting infection he developed in the hospital almost killed him. Ian C. Bates for NPR hide caption

A 4-year-old regulation in New York state requires doctors and hospitals to treat sepsis using a protocol that some researchers now question. Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption

A well-regarded intensive care doctor in Virginia says he has had good success in treating 150 sepsis patients with a mix of IV corticosteroids, vitamin C and vitamin B, along with careful management of fluids. Other doctors want more proof — the sort that comes only via more rigorous tests. Sukiyashi/Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption

Of the million or so Americans a year who get sepsis, roughly 300,000 die. Unfortunately, many treatments for the condition have looked promising in small, preliminary studies, only to fail in follow-up research. Reptile8488/Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption

Bob Skierski at the beach in Avalon, N.J., just hours before he fell ill and went to the hospital. He never went home. Courtesy of Jennifer Rodgers hide caption