Acute Sepsis in Emergency Medicine Flashcards
What is a definition of sepsis?
Sepsis is characterised by a life-threatening organ dysfunction due to dysregulated host response to infection
What is septic shock?
Septic shock is a subset of sepsis where particularly profound circulatory, cellular and metabolic abnormalities substantially increase mortality
What is sepsis?
- Collection of physiological responses to infection
- Characterised by inflammation
- In sepsis, the reactions of the immune system become dysregulated
What happens in a local infection?
- Rubor
- Tumor
- Calor
- Dolor
What is rubor?
Redness
What is Tumor?
Swelling
What is calor?
Heat
What is dolor?
Pain
What are the effects of inflammation on the blood vessels in sepsis?
- Capillary leakage as immune cells leak out into the interstitial space
- Amplification of the inflammatory process
- Vasodilation
What effect does sepsis have on the airways?
- No specific effectinless infection arises from throat or neck
- But decreased consciousness may risk airway problems
What effect does sepsis have on breathing?
- Raised respiratory rate (tachypnoea)
- Fluids and proteins leaking into interstitial tissues leads to lung oedema and decreased lung compliance
What effect does sepsis have on circulatory system?
- Hypovolaemia due to vasodilation and capillary leakage leading to hypotension
- Tachycardia
- End organ damage (eg. in kidneys, brain)
What other effects does sepsis have on the body?
- Reduced blood flow to brain
- -> May present as confusion, drowsiness, slurred speech, agitation, anxiety, decreased level of consciousness
- High temperature due to hyothalamic response to infection or hypothermia in the elderly
Who is at risk of sepsis?
- Very young (< 1 year old)
- Elderly (> 75 years) or very frail
- Pregnant, up to 6 weeks postpartum
- Patients with impaired immune system
How is sepsis diagnosed?
- Triggering an early warning score
- Looks ill
- Has any signs of infection
