Sepsis

What Is Sepsis?

Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication in which the body has a severe inflammatory response to an infection. This widespread inflammation can trigger a chain reaction throughout the body. Without timely treatment, sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death.

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.

There isn’t one symptom of sepsis but rather a combination of symptoms. Some, but not all, of these symptoms may be present:

• loss of consciousness
• severe breathlessness
• a high temperature (fever) or low body temperature
• a change in mental state—like confusion or disorientation
• slurred speech
• cold, clammy and pale or mottled skin
• a fast heartbeat
• fast breathing
  

Sepsis requires a rapid “bundle” of treatment elements: obtaining labs such as blood cultures and lactate levels, administration of antibiotics for the infection, rapid IV fluid boluses and vasopressor medications to keep blood pressure from dropping dangerously low.