Ex-Chiefs QB Alex Smith reveals he’s ‘lucky to be alive’ after injury in Washington
The mortality rate for people who develop sepsis is staggering.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.7 million adults develop sepsis in the United States and, of that number, 270,000 die. That is a 16% mortality rate.
Sepsis occurs when a person who already has an infection, the CDC said, “triggers a chain reaction throughout your body. Without timely treatment, sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death.”
On Saturday, Washington quarterback Alex Smith revealed to ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” he had sepsis following a horrific leg injury suffered when sacked in a game in November 2018. Surgery to set a bone in his leg was successful, however, and Smith told ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap he was due to be released from the hospital before Thanksgiving when the sepsis occurred.
“At that point, I don’t remember much for a few weeks. I had quite a few surgeries in a row ... trying to get the infection under control,” Smith said. “Next thing I remember is waking up several weeks later faced with the decision of amputation or limb salvage at that point.”
Smith, the former Chiefs quarterback, told Schapp he nearly died.
“I didn’t know how many people sepsis kills every year, even in hospital care,” Smith said. “It’s that dangerous ... very much lucky to still be alive, very lucky to still have my leg.”
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