The aim of the 31st Grand Finale fundraiser explained

This year’s theme of the GOCC Grand Finale declares a fight with sepsis, a severe life-threatening medical condition. The latest WHO’s research shows that it may be the main cause of deaths in the world.

Playing to heal the world

We revealed the theme of the 31st Grand Finale on 12 October 2022 during a press conference organised at the GOCC Foundation main office in Warsaw. Jurek Owsiak together with the member of the board, Lidia Niedźwiedzka-Owsiak, Prof. Bohdan Maruszewski and prof. Piotr Burczyński, presented the aim of the January fundraiser:

“We want to beat sepsis! We play for all – the little and the big ones! Stay healthy in a healthy world”

It goes without saying that the upcoming edition of the Grand Finale will be special. It is the first time in the history of the GOCC Foundation that we hold a fundraiser for all the patients in need, regardless of their age. What is more, we aim not to support a chosen branch of medicine, but rather to fight with a medical condition that may concern literally everyone.

What is sepsis?

Any bacterial, viral and fungal infection may lead to an extreme systemic reaction causing tissue damage or organ failure in a flash. This medical condition is called sepsis.

Our immune system’s erratic response to the infection may result in a rapid worsening of the patient’s condition. Therefore, it is crucial to make right decisions quickly and administer an effective therapy as soon as possible, perfectly within the first hour since the diagnosis. Performing tests to identify the germs responsible for the infection is the essential step in giving the appropriate treatment to the patient. Studies show that an hour delay in identifying the germs and administering effective antibiotics increases the risk of death by 8%.

Statistical risk

In Poland, due to the lack of a national register, there are no reliable data on the number of sepsis cases, which significantly impedes the prevention and treatment. According to the National Health Fund’s reports, analysed by NIK (Supreme Audit Office), there are ca. 20 thousand hospitalized adult patients in Poland affected by sepsis annually. However, these numbers are indeed underestimated. The survey carried out in the accredited intensive care units in 2012 and 2013 reveals that sepsis affected at least 50 thousand people, and the death rate was higher than in the case of deaths caused by respiratory system cancers or heart attacks. Moreover, the NIK’s report of 2018 on hospital infections stresses the need for introducing urgent actions to prevent, monitor and treat sepsis.

Recent studies show that sepsis is the leading cause of 20% of annual global deaths. According to the research done by World Health Organization, in 2017, sepsis affected 49 million people worldwide and was linked to 11 million deaths. Half of the patients were children (ca. 20 million), and 2.9 million deaths occurred in children under 5.

The objective of the 31st Grand Finale

It is a Grand Finale for everyone. Even though some persons may be more susceptible to develop sepsis, e.g. the elderly, infants, patients with chronic illnesses or weakened immune system, let’s remember that any person with an infection is at risk. Therefore, our main objective this year is to equip laboratories in the country with high-tech devices to stand a chance in the fight against sepsis and the help all patients in need.

The Orchestra plans to purchase:

• equipment for the identification of microorganisms by Maldi TOF mass spectrometry systems for automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing
• multiplex PCR-type molecular diagnostic tool for the identification of microorganisms including determination of drug resistance
• tools for the detection of amplification products of bacteria, fungi, and determination of resistance mechanisms using magnetic resonance technology
• automated systems for microbiological samples
• laminar flow cabinets for laboratories.

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