What is sepsis?

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:

• Gastrointestinal tract
• Lung
• Skin
• Urinary Tract

Without timely treatment, sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death.

Signs and symptoms

A person with sepsis might have one or more of the following signs or symptoms:

• Clammy or sweaty skin
• Confusion or disorientation
• Extreme pain or discomfort
• Fever, shivering or feeling very cold
• High heart rate or weak pulse
• Shortness of breath

Causes

Bacterial infections cause most cases of sepsis. Sepsis can also be a result of other infections, including viral infections, such as COVID-19 or influenza, or fungal infections.

Sepsis facts

• Each year, at least 1.7 million adults in America develop sepsis.
• At least 350,000 adults who develop sepsis die during their hospitalization or are discharged to hospice.
• 1 in 3 people who dies in a hospital had sepsis during that hospitalization. 
• Most cases of sepsis start before a patient goes to the hospital.
• Most people who develop sepsis have at least one underlying medical condition, such as chronic lung disease or a weakened immune system. 
• Nearly a quarter to a third of people with sepsis had a healthcare visit in the week before they were hospitalized

Diagnosis

Sepsis is diagnosed through a medical assessment by a healthcare provider.

Healthcare providers diagnose sepsis using physical findings, such as:

• Difficulty breathing
• Fever
• Increased heart rate
• Low blood pressure

Healthcare providers also perform tests that check for signs of infection or organ damage. Some of these tests are used to identify the germ that caused the infection that led to sepsis. This testing might include blood cultures looking for bacterial infections or fungal infections, or tests for viral infections, like COVID-19 or influenza.

As a nurse I screen each and everyone of my patients for sepsis daily based on many factors including vitals, labs, and changes to body systems which could indicated sepsis so that the doctor can be notified as soon as possible and treatment started.