Sepsis – what is it? Most Americans don’t know what it means when someone says this, but nearly a third of the people who contract sepsis die from the disease.
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s response to an infection damages its own tissues and organs. A recent research study by Kaiser Permanente in California concluded that as many as half of in-hospital deaths had sepsis as a contributing factor to their death.
Sepsis occurs with some frequently in patients who are already hospitalized with a medical or surgical diagnosis and, over time, may develop greater infections. Those people most susceptible to contracting sepsis include:
• the very old or very young
• those with compromised immune systems (HIV/hepatitis/cancer)
• those with open wounds or injuries, including burns
• those with invasive devices like intravenous catheters or breathing tubes
How does
sepsis develop?
As sepsis becomes worse, blood flow to vital organs – like your brain, heart and kidneys – becomes impaired. Sepsis can also develop small blood clots to form in your organs as well as in your legs, fingers and toes precipitating amputations. Symptoms to look for include: fever above 101.3 F or below 95 F; heart rate higher than 90 beats a minute; respiratory rates higher than 20 breaths a minute; a probable or confirmed infection of any kind.
Diagnosing sepsis can be challenging because these symptoms can be caused by many other disorders that may not be life-threatening.
The goal is to treat the condition during its mild stage before it has a chance to develop into severe sepsis or septic shock. Any type of an infection can lead to sepsis. So, patients with pneumonia, an abdominal infection or a kidney infection may be at a higher risk for sepsis, particularly if they are members of a group listed above.
The Washington State Hospital Association has made combating sepsis a part of its Leading Edge Advanced Practice Topics program by asking all hospitals statewide to implement a new, internationally developed care bundle. The protocols of this treatment include:
• monitoring for sepsis from the time of admission
• utilizing infection prevention measures
• screening the patient for risk and sepsis and testing for toxins within three hours of identifying a patient’s risk
• dispensing appropriate and timely antibiotics and medications
• educating nurses and providers on sepsis identification and prevention.
All Franciscan Health System hospitals, including St. Elizabeth in Enumclaw, are participating in this program.
The goal of this statewide initiative is to reduce deaths related to sepsis in participating hospitals by 20 percent by December 2014.
About the writer: Edward C. Lopez is facility site medical director of the Internal Medicine In-Patient Hospitalist program at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Enumclaw.
