From the name you might not know exactly what we’re talking about, although “septicemia“Yeah, sounds familiar.
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But the numbers of this disease will certainly not leave you indifferent and will quickly pique your interest.
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Sepsis kills one person every 2.8 seconds.
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Nearly 50 million people suffer from this disease every year.
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This is the first reason hospital death
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first readmission
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Up to 50% of survivors suffer long-term physical and/or psychological consequences.
Despite this, it remains largely unknown, and hospital protocols for its early detection and management are still not as widespread as expected.
What is sepsis or sepsis?
In quick and easy to understand language, we can say that sepsis is our own body’s response to an infection. But this reaction can severely damage our own tissues and organs.
For a more accurate explanation, nothing can be better than the words of the Spanish Society of Intensive Care, Intensive Care Medicine and Coronary Disease (SEMICYUC) Working Group on Infectious Diseases and Sepsis.
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“This is a complex disease secondary to infection that can lead to multiple organ dysfunction and death; it is a medical emergency that requires immediate attention and can result in serious health and economic consequences for patients and health systems around the world. Burden.Planet”.
Considering that this pathology is caused by rimmune response The exaggerated infection kills 11 million people every year, and experts review the importance of advancing its research, control and treatment. Spanish intensivists have been working on this task for decades.
Symptoms of sepsis
One of the problems when testing for sepsis is that some of its symptoms can be confused with a “normal” infection.
That’s why it’s important to know that some people are particularly susceptible to sepsis. Among them:
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elderly
- diabetics
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Immunocompromised patients.
Additionally, certain infections are more likely to cause sepsis:
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Respiratory tract infections, e.g. pneumonia
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intestinal infection
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Urinary tract infection.
With these things in mind, signs that may alert us that sepsis is developing include:
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Heart rate increases to over 90 beats.
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Difficulty breathing.
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this body temperature It may be above 38°C or below 36°C.
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Low blood pressure.
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Nausea or vomiting.
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Decreased urine output.
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Drowsiness, confusion, or even loss of consciousness.
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When what’s called septic shock occurs
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH) explains:
Sepsis, or sepsis, is a serious illness caused by a fulminant immune response to infection.
The body releases immune chemicals into the bloodstream to fight infection, but these chemicals trigger widespread inflammation that does not heal but creates blood clots and leaks in blood vessels.
As a result, blood circulation is impaired, which in turn deprives the organs of nutrients and oxygen, causing organ damage.
In serious cases, there may be insufficient of one or more organs.
In the worst cases, blood pressure drops, the heart weakens, The patient is in septic shock.
Once this happens, various organs (lungs, kidneys, liver) quickly stop working and the patient dies.
Sepsis is one of the biggest challenges facing hospitals and one of the leading causes of death.
The onset of sepsis is unpredictable and progresses rapidly.
What causes sepsis?
Continuing the NIH explanation: There are many types of microorganisms that can cause sepsis, including:
- Bacteria that cause most cases
- bacteria
- Virus.
Severe cases of sepsis are often the result of widespread infection that spreads throughout the body through the bloodstream. In some cases, the infection cannot be detected in the blood and doctors rely on other information, such as body temperature and mental status, to diagnose sepsis.
Sepsis is usually caused by the following infections:
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lung
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Stomach
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kidney
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bladder.
Sometimes sepsis can occur in people who don’t know they have the infection.
Who is at risk for sepsis
Most of the time, sepsis occurs in people who are hospitalized or have recently been hospitalized.
Specifically, patients in intensive care units have a greater chance of developing infections that may lead to sepsis.
But the main impact is:
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you drink,
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children,
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elder
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There is a wound
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diabetics
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AIDS,
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cancer
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Liver disease
But it’s important to understand that any infection can lead to sepsis.
That’s why it’s important to consult a doctor if we have an infection or a wound that doesn’t respond to treatment. This is why signs or symptoms such as confusion or shortness of breath require emergency care.
sepsis code
Implementation of the Sepsis Code in intensive care units and other areas of the hospital provides an important infrastructure for early identification of patients with this disease. Incorporate procedures, strategies, and management options to reduce mortality and morbidity regardless of their triggering causes.
This sepsis protocol aims to identify patients with sepsis early and coordinate a multidisciplinary approach to manage sepsis focus and ensure patient survival.
Additionally, as the working group explains:
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“Based on the coordination of sepsis care professionals, it provides higher quality, homogeneous care with the greatest possible resolution.”
A more or less automated alert system for sepsis codes helps identify potentially serious conditions that might otherwise be missed by other detection systems.
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In addition, microbial technology is incorporated into daily clinical practice Rapid identification of microorganisms and resistance mechanisms can help shorten diagnostic response times and better adapt antimicrobial treatments.
Over the years, the need and effectiveness of implementing a sepsis code in all hospitals has become more apparent than ever. Coronavirus disease.
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Sepsis and COVID-19
Because sepsis is our body’s response to an infection but can severely damage our own tissues and organs, “new” infectious diseases like SARS-CoV-2 can also progress to sepsis on their own, forcing critical care physicians to double down effort.
SEMICYUC’s National Critical Care Medicine Services Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Study (ENVIN) warned in 2021 that in terms of device-related infections, COVID-19 patients will exhibit a greater inflammatory response during treatment, manifesting as sepsis and/or or septic shock. Their length of stay in the ICU compared with 2019 data.
In fact, during these years of pandemic, a large number of patients admitted to the ICU with COVID-19 died from septic shock.
As the working group experts explained:
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“Having sepsis codes in hospitals enables early identification of patients with sepsis in all healthcare facilities through a coordinated multidisciplinary approach during the pandemic. In addition, it guarantees immediate implementation of effective measures to reduce sepsis mortality.”