But while most adults know they must seek care immediately for a heart attack or stroke, only about half know that sepsis requires urgent medical attention, according to a survey by Sepsis Alliance, a nonprofit organization.

Signs of sepsis include an abnormally high or low temperature, an underlying infection (which may not be apparent without a blood test), signs of confusion or sleepiness, and feelings of extreme illness, pain or discomfort that make people feel they are about to die.

Clovers is designed to test a new strategy for treating septic shock, a dangerous drop in blood pressure that chokes blood flow to organs, affects the heart and can result in death.

The goal of the trial is to determine whether it is better to limit fluids and start vasopressors — drugs that constrict blood vessels — quickly, or to use more intravenous fluids and postpone giving the drugs to patients.

At issue is whether patients participating in Clovers are being given treatment that deviates from usual care — so much so that lives may be endangered by the research. Participants are only enrolled for 24 hours, but the first hours of treatment are critical for survival.

When patients experience septic shock, current guidelines call for raising blood pressure by administering fluids within the first three hours of care, and then administering vasopressors within the first six hours if patients do not respond to fluids.

Vasopressors can be administered early on, during or after the infusion of fluids; a new treatment guideline for hospitals says the drugs should be started within the first hour if patients aren’t responding to intravenous fluids.