Sepsis: Signs, Symptoms, and Solutions

Sepsis is a serious, extreme response in the body due to an infection, often a fatal clinical syndrome that constitutes a life-threatening medical emergency. Without rapid treatment, severe cases of sepsis lead to septic shock due to very low blood pressure, tissue damage, organ failure, and even death.

Though bacterial infections cause most cases of sepsis, it can also be a result of viral infections like COVID-19 or influenza.

Who is at risk for sepsis?

Though anyone with an infection could get sepsis, there are certain groups that are more predisposed:

• Adults 65 or older
• People with weakened immune systems
• People with chronic medical conditions (diabetes, cancer, lung disease, and kidney disease)
• People with recent severe illness, hospitalization, or previous sepsis
• People with severe injuries, such as burns or large wounds
• Patients with catheters (IVs, urinary catheters) or a breathing tube
• Babies younger than one

Signs and Symptoms of Sepsis

Along with a confirmed infection, signs and symptoms of sepsis include:

• Changes in mental status, such as being confused or disoriented
• Fever
• Rapid breathing, or a respiratory rate higher than 22 breaths a minute
• Low body temperature
• Warm or clammy/sweaty skin
• Chills
• Low urine output
• Low blood pressure, with the systolic blood pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) less than 100 mm Hg

Solutions

Current sepsis prevention activities led by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are focused on:

1. Increasing sepsis awareness among patients, families, and providers
2. Promoting early recognition of sepsis
3. Identifying at-risk populations for prevention and early recognition efforts
4. Developing better sepsis surveillance methods to measure the impact of interventions
5. Preventing infections that lead to sepsis

Devices like SafeBeing™ also help providers monitor patients and their infections by measuring variables such as heartrate, oxygen saturation, urinary tract infection risks, and readmissions risks. Getting ahead of the symptoms of sepsis through careful, passive recognition and predictive insights is vital.

Healthcare professionals’ fast diagnosis and treatment can immensely increase their patients’ chances of survival.

To help prevent sepsis, individuals can keep themselves informed and take certain steps, like:

• Get vaccinated against COVID-19, influenza, pneumonia, and other potential infections
• Prevent infections by practicing good hygiene and cleaning wounds
• Looking for the signs of sepsis if they have an infection