If you have sepsis, you already have a serious infection. Early symptoms include fever and feeling unwell, faint, weak, or confused. You may notice your heart rate and breathing are faster than usual. If it's not treated, sepsis can harm your organs, make it hard to breathe, and mess up your thinking.
Most symptoms of post-sepsis syndrome should get better on their own. But it can take time. There are things you can do to help with some long-term effects.
If the infection has spread or you have a generalized infection, you may develop other signs and symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, pain, etc. Sometimes however, you may have an infection and not know it, and not have any symptoms.
Sepsis is the body's extreme response to an infection. It is a life-threatening medical emergency. Sepsis happens when an infection you already have triggers a chain reaction throughout your body. Infections that lead to sepsis most often start in the lung, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract.
fever and/or chills. confusion or disorientation. difficulty breathing. fast heart rate or low blood pressure (hypotension)
Recovery at home: After discharge from hospital, the sepsis survivor needs detailed care at home along with regular reviews with the healthcare provider. They need to have complete rest and build up their strength with slowly increasing activities, as they are likely to feel weak and tired.
"When an infection reaches a certain point, this can happen in a matter of hours." Sepsis usually starts out as an infection in just one part of the body, such as a skin wound or a urinary tract infection, Tracey says.
Weakness or aching muscles. Not passing much (or any) urine. Feeling very hot or cold, chills or shivering. Feeling confused, disoriented, or slurring your speech.
The condition can arise suddenly and progress quickly, and it's often hard to recognize. Sepsis was once commonly known as “blood poisoning.” It was almost always deadly. Today, even with early treatment, sepsis kills about 1 in 5 affected people.
However, there might be other symptoms related to sepsis based on where the infection is. Abdominal pain is one such symptom.
When treatment or medical intervention is missing, sepsis is a leading cause of death, more significant than breast cancer, lung cancer, or heart attack. Research shows that the condition can kill an affected person in as little as 12 hours.
Healthcare professionals should treat sepsis with antibiotics as soon as possible. Antibiotics are critical tools for treating life-threatening infections, like those that can lead to sepsis.
Although antibiotics are necessary elements in the treatment of sepsis by the time that the clinical picture has been recognized they are unlikely to be sufficient alone, and it is for this reason that so much attention has been paid to adjunctive therapies that might address the underlying pathological processes.
High heart rate or weak pulse. Fever, shivering, or feeling very cold. Confusion or disorientation. Shortness of breath.
The majority of broad-spectrum agents administered for sepsis have activity against Gram-positive organisms such as methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, or MSSA, and Streptococcal species. This includes the antibiotics piperacillin/tazobactam, ceftriaxone, cefepime, meropenem, and imipenem/cilastatin.
Peripheral blood cultures are useful for investigating the infectious etiology of sepsis and for managing appropriate antimicrobial treatment. Other tests, including CBC and chemistries, provide a baseline to assess therapeutic response.
A urinary tract infection is generally treated with antibiotics. However, if the infection isn't identified and is left untreated, it can move to the kidneys and ureters and may cause sepsis and septic shock. Sepsis that results from an untreated urinary tract infection is generally called urosepsis.
The most common causes of sepsis in the pediatric age group include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Staphylococcus aureus.