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Sepsis - A sudden attack by bacteria

Sepsis - A sudden attack by bacteria



Definition

Sepsis is defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by an abnormal host reaction to infection. Clinically, long-term dysfunction can be assessed with an SOFA score (respiratory system / nerve system / circulatory system / liver / coagulation / kidney) and diagnosed when microbial infection is identified as the cause.

* Position: Whole body




Cause

Microbial infections cause sepsis. The cause of infection can be any organ in the body. Pneumonia, pyelonephritis, meningitis, cellulitis, infective endocarditis, peritonitis, bedsores, cholecystitis, cholecystitis, etc., can cause sepsis. When such an infection occurs, the causative microorganism may invade the blood and cause sepsis.


Symptom

Early symptoms may include increased breathing rate, neurological disorders such as loss of mental power (time, place, cognitive perception of the person) or confusion. The skin may look dark due to a decrease in blood pressure and a decrease in the amount of blood supplied to the end of the body. If you have bacteremia (a symptom of bacteria moving around in the blood), bacteria can travel around the bloodstream and settle in certain parts of your body, causing pathological changes in those areas. Skin changes specific to the causative agent may also help diagnose the cause of sepsis. Symptoms of the digestive system include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and bowel paralysis. In severe stress situations, symptoms of bleeding from the digestive system may also occur.


Diagnosis / Test

There is no specific diagnosis for sepsis. Therefore, the patient's body temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, white blood cell count on blood test, etc. should be judged in total, and it is important to check if there is an infectious disease that can cause sepsis, so a blood culture test is necessary. Long-term dysfunction is assessed by the SOFA score (respiratory system / nerve system / circulatory system / liver / coagulation / kidney). Complications such as Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) or acute renal failure may occur, so it is recommended to do a blood test to confirm this.


Cure

It is important to treat organ infections that cause sepsis. Physical examinations, blood tests, and imaging tests are used to find infection sites in the body that cause sepsis and treat the infection with appropriate antibiotics. In order to find out the causative agent of sepsis, it is necessary to take the patient's blood and cultivate the bacteria, but this requires at least 3 to 5 days, so if the patient's condition is critical, perform empirical treatment before the results of the culture test Should be implemented. If there are abscesses (pus) or necrosis (cells or parts of the tissue dead) in the infected organs that cause sepsis, or if artificial organs are inserted, how to remove them should be seriously considered.

When treating sepsis, it is necessary to maintain the patient's blood pressure adequately and to provide sufficient blood and oxygen to each tissue of the body.


Progress / Complication

If not properly treated, death may occur, and in cases of impaired body organ function or shock, the mortality rate is very high.


Diet / Life Guide

Since you can die within a short period of time after the onset of sepsis, you cannot be treated alone at home, and if symptoms occur, you should go to the hospital promptly for treatment.


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