Learn About Sepsis
Sepsis is an illness in which the body has a severe, inflammatory response to bacteria or other germs.
Septicemia; Sepsis syndrome; Systemic inflammatory response syndrome; SIRS; Septic shock
The symptoms of sepsis are not caused by the germs themselves. Instead, chemicals the body releases cause the response.
A bacterial infection anywhere in the body may set off the response that leads to sepsis. Common places where an infection might start include the:
- Bloodstream
- Bones (common in children)
- Bowel (usually seen with peritonitis)
- Kidneys (upper urinary tract infection, pyelonephritis or urosepsis)
- Lining of the brain (meningitis)
- Liver or gallbladder
- Lungs (bacterial pneumonia)
- Skin (cellulitis)
For people in or recently discharged from the hospital, common sites of infection include intravenous lines, surgical wounds, surgical drains, and sites of skin breakdown, known as bedsores or pressure ulcers.
Sepsis commonly affects infants or older adults.
In sepsis, blood pressure drops, resulting in shock. Major organs and body systems, including the kidneys, liver, lungs, and central nervous system may stop working properly because of poor blood flow.
A change in mental status and very fast breathing may be the earliest signs of sepsis.
In general, symptoms of sepsis can include:
- Chills
- Confusion or delirium
- Fever or low body temperature (hypothermia)
- Lightheadedness due to low blood pressure
- Rapid heartbeat
- Skin rash or mottled skin
- Warm skin
A person with sepsis will be admitted to a hospital, usually in the intensive care unit (ICU). Antibiotics are usually given through a vein (intravenously).
Other medical treatments include:
- Oxygen to help with breathing
- Fluids given through a vein
- Medicines that increase blood pressure
- Dialysis if there is kidney failure
- A breathing machine (mechanical ventilation) if there is lung failure
Larry Baddour is an Infectious Disease provider in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Baddour and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Sepsis. His top areas of expertise are Infective Endocarditis, Endocarditis, Sepsis, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG), and Aortic Valve Replacement.
Winona Health Services
Jacob Thomas is an Internal Medicine provider in Winona, Minnesota. Dr. Thomas and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Sepsis. His top areas of expertise are Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Lung Metastases, Pneumonia, Gastrointestinal Bleeding, and Endoscopy. Dr. Thomas is currently accepting new patients.
Allina Health System
Vidu Mokkala is an Internal Medicine provider in River Falls, Wisconsin. Dr. Mokkala and is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Sepsis. Her top areas of expertise are Sepsis, Peptic Ulcer, H1N1 Influenza, Ureteroscopy, and Endoscopy. Dr. Mokkala is currently accepting new patients.
Sepsis is often life threatening, especially in people with a weak immune system or a long-term (chronic) illness.
Damage caused by a decrease in blood flow to vital organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys may take time to improve. There may be long-term problems with these organs.
The risk of sepsis can be reduced by getting all recommended vaccines.
In the hospital, careful hand washing can help prevent hospital-acquired infections that lead to sepsis. Prompt removal of urinary catheters and IV lines when they are no longer needed can also help prevent infections that lead to sepsis.
Summary: Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that lymph nodes are a major reservoir for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and a major site of active virus replication in infected individuals. There is at least a 10 fold greater viral burden per given number of CD4+ T lymphocytes obtained from the lymph nodes versus the peripheral blood in the same infected individual. These data have been accumulat...
Summary: The purpose of this clinical trial is to learn about the safety and effects of the study medicine (called Fosmanogepix) for the potential treatment of candidemia and/or invasive candidiasis, a life-threatening fungal infection caused by several species of yeast called Candida. The study is seeking patients who have a diagnosis of candidemia and/or invasive candidiasis. Two-thirds of all patients w...
Published Date: September 10, 2022
Published By: Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Shapiro NI, Jones AE. Sepsis syndrome. In: Walls RM, Hockberger RS, Gausche-Hill M, Erickson TB, Wilcox SR, eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 127.
Singer M, Deutschman CS, Seymour CW, et al. The third international consensus definitions for sepsis and septic shock (sepsis-3). JAMA. 2016;315(8):801-810. PMID 26903338 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26903338/.
van der Poll T, Wiersinga WJ. Sepsis and septic shock. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 73.