SepsisSepsis is a complex illness where the body “over-reacts” to an infection. Normally, the body’s response to an infection is targeted to the site of the infection. With sepsis, the immune system sets off a chain reaction to fight the infection. The body’s response, instead of being localized to the site of infection, causes symptoms to occur throughout the body (this is known as a systemic response). As a result of this systemic response, a patient with sepsis often has a fever, and a faster than normal heart rate and breathing rate. Because “germs” may be found in the blood of patients with sepsis, doctors and nurses sometimes refer to the condition as a “blood infection” or “blood poisoning.” While you may not be able to tell when someone is developing sepsis, tests can be conducted at the hospital to detect the disease. In some patients, the systemic response to infection may spin out of control, throwing off the body’s state of balance and damaging one or more vital organs (heart, lungs, kidneys, or liver). This systemic response or “over-reaction” to the infection and resulting organ damage is called severe sepsis and is often more dangerous than the initial infection itself. Sepsis can turn into severe sepsis very quickly, sometimes in a matter of hours. Between 33% and 50% of patients who develop severe sepsis die from the condition.
You may be familiar with the following conditions that are linked to infection and can sometimes result in severe sepsis:
How can the doctor tell if
a patient has severe sepsis? |
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