Sepsis

Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection. Sepsis occurs when your body has an overwhelming immune response to a bacterial infection and chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight the infection trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body. This inflammation can lead to blood clots and damaged blood vessels, which causes poor blood flow. The organs are deprived of nutrients and oxygen, which can cause damage multiple organ systems and cause them to fail.

Common symptoms of sepsis are fever, chills, rapid breathing and heart rate, rash, confusion, and disorientation.

If sepsis progresses to septic shock, blood pressure drops dramatically and the heart weakens, which may lead to death.

Sepsis is most common and most dangerous in older adults and those with weakened immune systems. Early treatment of sepsis usually involves antibiotics and large amounts of intravenous fluids.

Any type of infection (bacterial, viral, or fungal) can lead to sepsis, but the most likely varieties include:

• pneumonia
• abdominal infection
• kidney infection
• bloodstream infection (bacteremia)

Sepsis is more common and more dangerous if you:

• are very young or very old
• have a compromised immune system
• are already very sick, often in a hospital's intensive care unit
• have wounds or injuries, such as burns or physical trauma
• have invasive devices, such as intravenous catheters or breathing tubes
• have a chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, AIDS, cancer, and kidney, or liver disease

Seek emergency care immediately for signs of sepsis during an infection: confusion, very fast breathing or heart rate, fever or shivering, extreme pain, clammy skin, or low urine output. Sepsis is a life-threatening emergency where minutes matter.