What is Sepsis?
Sepsis also called septicemia arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. It may lead to shock, multi-organ failure, and death – especially if not recognized early and treated promptly. Sepsis is the final common pathway to death from most infectious diseases. Sepsis is also your body’s life-threatening response to an infection.
Sources of Sepsis
The most common sources of sepsis include:
- Meningitis
- Skin or soft tissue infection
- Catheter-related infection
- Urinary tract infection
- Pneumonia
- Bloodstream infection
- Abdominal infections e.g. appendicitis, infectious diarrhea, gallbladder infection etc.
Symptoms of Sepsis
These symptoms might indicate sepsis
- Slurred speech or confusion
- Extreme shivering or muscle pain/fever
- Passing no urine all day
- Severe breathlessness
- It feels like you’re going to die
- Skin mottled or discoloured
- Temperature – higher or lower than normal
Global Health Crisis of Sepsis
According to world sepsis day:
- 27, 000, 000 – 30, 000, 000 people per year develop sepsis
- 7, 000, 000 – 9, 000, 000 die – 1 death every 3.5 seconds
- Survivors may face lifelong consequences
- World sepsis day is every September 13th.
- 258,000 Americans die from sepsis each year
- Sepsis is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. after heart disease and cancer
- 5+ million children worldwide die from sepsis each year
- 6 million cases of sepsis in the U>S every year
- 55% of Americans have ever heard of the word ‘Sepsis’
Steps or Stages of Sepsis
- Temperature – greater than 100.4F or less than 96.8F
- RR is greater than 20 and HR is greater than 90
- WBC (White Blood Cell) is greater than 12,000 or less than 4,000
Range of people that can get sepsis
Everybody can get sepsis – certain people are at even higher risk
- Children under 1
- Adults over 60 years
- People with no spleen
- People with chronic diseases e.g. lung, liver, heart
- People with weakened immune systems e.g. AIDS, diabetes
Prevention of Sepsis
Prevention and early treatment could save thousands of lives.
- Good hand hygiene saves lives: Around 10 – 20% of all sepsis cases at hospitals are caused by poor hygiene both by visitors and hospital staff. Therefore, proper hand hygiene can prevent sepsis
- Vaccinations protect you and others: Vaccinations reduce the risk of infections such as pneumonia. People without a spleen, children and older people are particularly susceptible to infections.
- Sepsis is usually easy to treat if it is detected early