Most people know that heart attacks and cancer are the leading causes of death in the United States, but ask what the third is and more often than not, a blank stare is the response.

A bus tour of Colorado is aiming to change by providing information about sepsis, which affects more than 12,000 people in Colorado every year.

The tour stopped by Lutheran Medical Center on Sept. 16 to give caregivers a chance to learn about the disease and how to treat it.

"Sepsis can develop from any condition and like so many things, the key is to recognizing it early," said Debbie Fimple, marketing manager with MSC, a local company that helps improve patient safety. "The Sepsis Alliance helps to provide a solution for this disease."

Sepsis — often called blood poisoning — is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection injures its own tissues and organs, according to information provided. Sepsis can result from any infection, such as a urinary tract infection, meningitis, pneumonia, appendicitis, or even a simple cut on your hand.

In severe cases, organs begin to fail. In the worst cases, blood pressure drops and the heart weakens, leading to septic shock. Once this happens, multiple organs may quickly fail and the patient can die.

What makes sepsis difficult to pin down is that in many cases it looks like the flu. People will start to feel terrible, have trouble breathing, have a rapid heart rate and may have a very high fever. The key to preventing it is recognition of the signs.

With rapid treatment the number of deaths from sepsis can be halved.

In the bus healthcare providers get to see technicians work with a full-grown adult, child and baby simulators on how to best treat the disease, and some of the signs of the illness.

Seth Jones and Scott Bartholomew, both with MSC, walked Lutheran staff through some of the ways they should treat sepsis in both adults and children, using state of the art simulations.

"For the public, they may have heard a lot about the signs of heart attack and stroke, and it's important that they are aware of this," Jones said. "Time is of the essence when it comes to sepsis, but there are little clues that people can pick up on — like suddenly feeling terrible, rapid heart rate - that can help. Public awareness is how we're going to nail this disease.

The Suspect Sepsis. Save Lives. Campaign is led by the Sepsis Alliance, MSC, University of Colorado Hospital, Citizens for Patient Safety and the Association of Registered perioperative Nurses (AORN).

For more information visit www.suspectsepsis.org.