Digest Health Corner: Sepsis

Sepsis is a medical condition caused by an overwhelming immune response to infection. Chemicals released into the blood to fight infection, trigger widespread inflammation. This inflammation may result in organ damage. Blood clotting during sepsis reduces blood flow to limbs and internal organs, depriving them of nutrients and oxygen. Sepsis occurs in 1 to 2 percent of all hospitalizations in the United States and it affects a least 750,000 people each year.
Bacterial infections are the most common cause of sepsis. It can result from something as harmless as a scraped knee or a nicked cuticle. In hospitalized patients, common sites of initial infections such as I.V. lines, surgical incisions, urinary catheters, and bed sores. Sepsis is more prevalent in people whose immune systems are not functioning well due to illness, very young babies, the elderly, and people with diabetes.
“My grandmother had a small case of sepsis when she had surgery to remove her kids, but they caught it before it got too bad,” said Ashley Hayes, a 28 year-old sophomore nursing major from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Sepsis can begin in different parts of the body, causing it to have many different symptoms. Rapid breathing and a change in mental status may be the first signs that sepsis is starting. Other symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, rapid pulse, and decreased urination. If caught and diagnosis properly treatment can occur fairly swiftly.
The first step to successful treatment for sepsis is quick diagnosis. If sepsis is suspected, the doctor must perform an exam and run test to look for bacteria in the blood or other bodily fluids, a low platelet count, low blood pressure, acidosis, and altered liver or kidney function. Sepsis treatment usually begins with oxygen to maintain normal blood oxygen, I.V. fluids to maintain blood pressure or broad spectrum antibiotics, which kill many types of bacteria. Once the agent is identified, the doctor can switch to a drug that targets that particular agent. Depending on the severity and effects of the infection, other types of treatment, such as a breathing machine or kidney dialysis maybe needed. Sometimes surgery is necessary to drain or clear an infection.
To most effective way to prevent sepsis is to simply pay attention to your body. When having a surgery don’t depend on the nurse or doctor to be aware of every symptom or change in your body. No one knows when something feels weird or out of the ordinary better than you.