What is Sepsis?
Sepsis is a complex illness involving both infection and inflammation. Normally, the body’s response to an infection is targeted to the site of the infection. But with sepsis, the immune system sets off a chain reaction to fight the infection. This triggers a “systemic response,” which causes symptoms to occur throughout the body. As a result, a patient with sepsis often has a fever, and heart and breathing rates that are faster than normal. Because there may be “germs” in the blood of patients with sepsis, doctors and nurses sometimes call the condition a “blood infection” or “blood poisoning.” It might not be immediately obvious that a patient is developing sepsis. But there are tests that doctors and nurses can run to detect the disease.
Sepsis is the body’s response to infection. Normally, the body’s own defense system fights infection, but in severe sepsis, the body’s normal reaction goes into overdrive, setting off a cascade of events that can lead to widespread inflammation and blood clotting in tiny vessels throughout the body. The forms of sepsis include severe sepsis, which occurs when acute organ dysfunction or failure results; septic shock, which occurs in severe sepsis when the cardiovascular system begins to fail so that blood pressure drops, depriving vital organs of an adequate oxygenated blood supply; and septicemia, which is sepsis that has an infection in the bloodstream itself.
Sepsis could be called a severe complication of viral, bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection. In this condition, the body develops an extreme immune response to the presence of an infection, most often bacterial. It begins to clot blood and develop inflammation throughout the body, particularly in small blood vessels. Aggressive sepsis can cause organ failure, which may lead to death if not immediately addressed. Sepsis can develop from fairly benign infections. A bout of pneumonia, a bad cut, or something like strep throat may cause it. It most commonly occurs when people are in the hospital. Early symptoms can include abnormally high or low body temperature, unusual respiratory patterns and high heart rate. When the condition is untreated, it can quickly progress to a severe state or to septic shock. Symptoms of septic shock or severe sepsis may include but are not limited to things like confusion, bleeding from the skin or rash, and reduction in urine output. The main reason seps
Sepsis is a potentially dangerous or life-threatening medical condition, found in association with a known or suspected infection (usually but not limited to bacteria) whose signs and symptoms fulfill at least two of the following criteria of a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS): • elevated heart rate (tachycardia) >90 beats per minute at rest • body temperature either high (>100.4F or 38C) or low ( • increased respiratory rate of >20 breaths per minute or a PaCO2 (partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood) • abnormal white blood cell count (>12000 cells/µL or 10% bands [an immature type of white blood cell]) Patients that meet the above criteria have sepsis and are also termed septic. These criteria were proposed by several medical societies and may continue to be modified by other medical groups. For example, pediatric groups use the same four criteria listed above but modify the values for each to make the SIRS criteria for children. Other groups want to add c
Sepsis is a severe illness caused by overwhelming infection of the bloodstream by toxin-producing bacteria. Microorganisms invading the body cause infections. Sepsis is also called Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Sepsis is very serious. It is often life-threatening. What Causes Sepsis? Sepsis is caused by a bacterial infection. The bacterial infection can originate anywhere in the body. The most common areas the infection originates from are: • The kidneys • The liver • The gall bladder • The bowel • The skin • The lungs In hospital patients, bacterial infection may originate from intravenous lines, surgical wounds, surgical drains, and sites of skin ulcers or bedsores. Sepsis can also be triggered by events such as pneumonia, trauma, surgery and burns, or by conditions such as cancer or AIDS. How is Sepsis Diagnosed? Sepsis can be diagnosed by a blood test. Symptoms of Sepsis • Drop in blood pressure • Hyperventilation • Rapid heart beat • Fever or hypothermia • Chills
