Sepsis is the bodys response to infection. Normally, the bodys own defense system fights infection, but in severe sepsis, the bodys normal reaction goes into overdrive, setting off a cascade of events that can lead to widespread inflammation and blood clotting in tiny vessels throughout the body. The forms of sepsis include severe sepsis, which occurs when acute organ dysfunction or failure results; septic shock, which occurs in severe sepsis when the cardiovascular system begins to fail so that blood pressure drops, depriving vital organs of an adequate oxygenated blood supply; and septicemia, which is sepsis that has an infection in the bloodstream itself. Symptoms include: * Fever and shaking chills * Reduced mental alertness, sometimes with confusion * Nausea and vomiting * Diarrhea * Increased heart rate, greater than 90 beats per minute * Increased respiratory rate, greater than 30 breaths per minute * High or low white blood cell count * Low blood pressure * Altered kidney or liver function You can get Sepsis simply by: * Having an under-active immune system (such as during chemotherapy or due to the medications used to enable an organ transplant) * Having had surgery * Being on mechanical ventilation * Having a genetic tendency * Having invasive procedures or IV lines in place to provide fluids * Can develop as a complication after common illnesses such as pneumonia and bacterial infections. Since November 21, 2001, it is estimated that 5,530,000 people have developed severe sepsis, and 1,585,000 are estimated to have died. * More than 750,000 cases of severe sepsis occur annually in the U.S. * There are 3.0 cases of severe sepsis per 1,000 population and 2.26 cases per 100 hospital discharges.(Angus,2001) * The hospital cost of treating patients with severe sepsis in the U.S. is approximately $17 billion each year.(Angus,2001) * Severe Sepsis causes 215,000 deaths in the U.S. each year—more than AMI, lung cancer, and other commonly known causes of death in the hospital.(Angus,2001) *Approximately 1400 deaths worldwide each day. Diagnosing sepsis can be difficult. Some of its symptoms, such as fever, rapid pulse, and respiratory difficulty occur frequently and can be confused as being due to other disorders. Ask your doctor for a specific screening for Sepsis. Until recently, no single agent or treatment strategy has shown sufficient value for the routine management of patients with sepsis. The most important intervention is rapid diagnosis and then prompt and appropriate treatment. In addition, there are new treatments that have been demonstrated, in research trials, to improve survival in sepsis. Many doctors believe that a drug which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that increases activated protein C may be a key to the management of severe sepsis, when the risk of dying is high. Steroids have also been recently shown to be valuable in patients with septic shock. Scientists are conducting research every day to find new treatments for this very serious condition. One pharmaceutical that can also help is in high-risk severe sepsis (sepsis associated with acute organ dysfunction) is Xigris. When cardiovascular, renal, or respiratory dysfunction occurs in severe sepsis, Xigris has been shown to help. (References: Wikipedia, sepsis, survivingsepsis.org)
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 04:17:18 +0000
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