What is sepsis?
Sepsis is a serious illness that occurs when the body responds overwhelmingly to a bacterial infection. Substances released by the blood to fight the infection result in widespread inflammation, leading to the creation of blood clots and leaking blood vessels. All this causes poor blood flow, depriving the organs of nutrients and oxygen. In the most severe cases one or more organs may fail, while in the worst situation blood pressure is reduced and the heart weakens, leading to septic shock.
Prognosis of the disease
Sepsis is a condition with high mortality rates that occurs when the body responds to an infection but damages its own tissues and organs. The prognosis depends on the time it takes to initiate appropriate treatment. As long as the disease is diagnosed at an early stage, it can be treated with antibiotics. However, if the diagnosis is not correct and no treatment is given, it can be fatal because it can rapidly progress to severe sepsis or septic shock.
Sepsis occurs when substances released by the blood to fight infection lead to generalized inflammation.
Symptoms of sepsis
The most common symptoms of sepsis are fever, increased heart rate and breathing rate, chills, rashes, confusion, and feeling disoriented. Most of these symptoms are present in other diseases, which is why sepsis becomes a difficult disease to diagnose, especially early in the course of the illness.
Medical tests for sepsis.
Sometimes the diagnosis of sepsis is complicated because its symptoms can be confused with another type of disorder. Doctors can rely on different tests and medical examinations to make the most correct diagnosis.
- Blood tests: the goal is to draw a blood sample to look for signs of infection.
- Clotting problems.
- Abnormal functioning of the liver or kidneys.
- Decreased oxygen availability.
- Electrolyte imbalances.
- Other laboratory tests: depending on each patient’s symptoms, the specialist may order the following tests to analyze body fluids.
- Urine.
- Wound secretions.
- Respiratory secretions.
- Diagnostics from an image: in the event that the specialist is unable to identify the site of the infection, the specialist may perform one of the following image-based tests.
- Radiography.
- Computed tomography.
- Ultrasound.
- Magnetic resonance imaging.
What are the causes of sepsis?
Any type of infection, bacterial, viral or fungal, can lead to sepsis, the most likely are:
- Pneumonia.
- Abdominal infection.
- Renal infection.
- Bloodstream infection (bacteremia).
Geographically, in the United States sepsis outbreaks are increasing, this may be due to:
- Aging population.
- Drug-resistant bacteria.
- Weakened immune system.
Can it be prevented?
The main recommendations a specialist can make is to keep the immune system healthy and treat infections early. If the immune system is weakened or suffers from an infection caused by various pathogens or very serious pathogens. If sepsis manages to affect the abdominal cavity, lungs or brain, it may affect other organs.
Treatments for sepsis
Early and aggressive treatment of the infection increases the chances of surviving sepsis. If the patient has severe sepsis or septic shock, life-saving measures, stabilization of breathing and heart function are necessary. The following treatments may be used.
- Medications
- Antibiotics.
- Vasopressors.
- supportive care
- surgery
What specialist treats it?
The specialist in charge of treating sepsis is the professional who specializes in Intensive Care Medicine. From Top Doctors you will be able to choose the doctor who best suits your geographical and personal needs.