Sepsis

Sepsis

• Why should I be worried?
• “Sepsis can be deadly. It kills more than 258,000 Americans each year and leaves thousands of survivors with life-changing after effects. - There are over 1 million cases of sepsis each year, and it is the ninth leading cause of disease-related deaths” (Sepsis Questions)

Sepsis

• Sepsis is categorized as “the body’s overwhelming and life-threatening response to infection” (Sepsis).

What causes Sepsis?

• “Sepsis occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight the infection trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body” (Mayo).

What causes Sepsis?

• “This inflammation can trigger a cascade of changes that can damage multiple organ systems, causing them to fail” (Mayo)

What causes Sepsis?

• “This leads to blood clots and leaky blood vessels” (Sepsis nlm)

What causes Sepsis?

• “They cause poor blood flow, which deprives your body's organs of nutrients and oxygen” (Sepsis nlm).

What causes Sepsis?

• “Many different microbes can cause sepsis. Although bacteria are most commonly the cause, viruses and fungi can also cause sepsis” (Balentine).

Who is at Risk?

• The young and the old; people with weakened immune systems; people with chronic conditions; people suffering with a burn or physical trauma (Sepsis nlm)

What do they use to diagnose sepsis?

• Clinical history Vital signs including temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and pain

What do they use to diagnose sepsis?

• Labs like complete blood count, blood cultures, lactic acid, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, other pertinent microbiological cultures.

In Conclusion

• Sepsis can lead to organ dysfunction, life support measures, and ultimately death!
• Prevent Infections when able
• -Hand Hygiene, Isolate when sick, avoid sick people.

The End

Works Cited

• Balentine, Jerry. “sepsis: Blood infection.” emedicinehealth.com. WebMD. 15 January 2016. web. 6 April 2016. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sepsis_blood_infection/page3_em.htm
• Mayo Clinic Staff. “sepsis.” Mayoclinic.org. Mayo Clinic. 15 January 2016. web. 6 April 2016. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sepsis/home/ovc-20169784
• “Sepsis.” CDC.gov. Centers for Disease Control. 30 November 2015. web. 6 April 2016. http://www.cdc.gov/sepsis/
• “sepsis.” nlm.nih.gov. Medline plus. 25 March 2016. web. 6 April 2016. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sepsis.html
• “Sepsis Questions and Answers” cdc.gov. Centers for Disease Control. 5 October 2015. web. 6 April 2016. http://www.cdc.gov/sepsis/basic/qa.html