Sepsis Flashcards
Definition of Sepsis
- symptoms due to infection which results in organ dysfunction or failure
- dysregulated host response, NOT necessarily just a blood stream infection
Pathophysiology of Sepsis/ Septic Shock
- bacteria Ag trigger macrophages to release cyto/chemokines –> vasodilation and increased vascular permeability –> migration into tissue
- DIC (systemic activation of coagulation cascade), widespread endothelial damage (edema), microcirculatory dysfunction, lower contractility, tissue hypoxia and damage/ death
- cytokine storm of TNF, IL-1, IL-6
- initially hyper-inflammatory but can also progress to hypo-inflammatory with cell-exhaustion and high risk of secondary infection
Minor Differentiations Between:
Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS)
Sepsis
Severe Sepsis
Septic Shock
- an appropriate response to infection/ inflammation
- SIRS + infection
- sepsis + organ damage
- severe sepsis + hypotension
SOFA criteria
- sepsis is associated with an increase in SOFA score by 2 or more
- respiratory rate equal to or over 22
- SBP equal to or under 100
- GCS equal to or under 13
Septic Shock
- need vasopressors to maintain mAP of 65
- serum lactate over 2mmol/L
- absence of hypovolemia
Investigations for Shock
- Hour 1
- Within 3 hours
- Within 6 hours
- always do concurrently with management!
*WBC, platelets, coags, lytes, renal, liver, glucose, ABG, LACTATE - blood/ urine/ sputum/ abscess cultures, CXR, CT/US, biopsy
*if low likelihood of sepsis, defer ABX and monitor
Hour 1
- measure lactate, remeasure if over 2
- obtain blood cultures then administer broad spectrum ABX (1 hour is high likelihood, 3 if possible)
- rapid administration of 30ml/kg crystalloid for hypotension or lactate over 4
- give vasopressors if hypotensive during or after fluid resuscitation to maintain mAP of 65
3 Hours
- measure lactate, remeasure if over 2
- obtain blood cultures then administer broad spectrum ABX
- rapid administration of 30ml/kg crystalloid for hypotension or lactate over 4
6 Hours
- give vasopressors if hypotensive during or after fluid resuscitation to maintain mAP of 65
- re-measure lactate if initial was elevated
- if persistent hypotension after initial fluids or if lactate is still over 4, re-asses volume status and tissue perfusion
Albumin with Crystalloids
- recommended when patients need a large amount of crystalloids infused
- helps draw fluid into the vessels
Primary vs Secondary Blood Stream Infection
Primary –> unknown organism source
Secondary –> identified organism source (UTI, pneumonia)
Most Common Culture Positive Sepsis Source
Most Common Community Blood Stream Infxn
Most Common Hospital Blood Stream Infxn
- the lungs
- E.coli (90+ is most common age group)
- coagulase negative staphylococci
Staph Aureus
- investigations
- treatment
- gram (+) cocci in CLUSTERS (identical to coagulase (-) staphylococci)
- soft tissue, catheter associated BSI, bone/joint, surgical and prosthetics, HAP, increased risk for endocarditis
- repeat 2 sets of blood cultures every 48h until clear, ID consult
- echo for endocarditis
- drain abscesses
- replace central venous catheters
- MSSA –> cloxacillin and cefazolin
- MRSA (resistant to cloxacillin) –> vancomycin
Strep Pneumo
- investigations
- treatment
- gram (+) cocci in PAIRS
- otitis media most common, CAP and bacterial meningitis are most serious
- repeat blood cultures are usually unnecessary unless peristent sepsis and fever after 48h of treatment
- endocarditis is rare but check if cultures remain (+)
- penicillin, ampicillin, ceftriaxone
- occasionally will have penicillin resistance
Common causes of (+) blood cultures due to skin flora contamination. What is NEVER a contaminant?
- coagulase (-) staphylococci (though may be real if catheter/prosthetics), cutibacterium acnes, corynebacterium, bacillus
- don’t treat, repeat culture to confirm
- staph aureus, gram (-) bacilli, and yeast are never considered contaminants
Strep Pyogenes (Group A Strep)
- investigations
- treatment
- gram (+) cocci in CHAINS
- strep pharyngitis and cellulitis most common, can also cause pneumonia/empyema/nec. fasciitis/ toxic shock/ rheumatic fever
- repeat blood cultures are usually unnecessary unless persistent sepsis and fever after 48h of treatment
- endocarditis is rare but check if cultures remain (+)
- PENICILLIN, ampicillin, cephalosporins
Viridans Group Strep
- investigations
- treatment
- gram (+) cocci in CHAINS (large group that all behave similarly)
- abscesses in brain/lungs/liver/abdomen, normal part of oral flora but can cause aspiration pneumonia, can cause endocarditis
- repeat cultures after 48h to ensure clearance
- look for endocarditis if cultures remain (+)
- ceftriaxone, drain abscesses
Enterococcus
- investigations
- treatment
- gram (+) cocci in CHAINS
- faecalis more community, faecium more hospital
- UTIs, hepatobiliary infections, endocarditis
- assess urine and biliary function
- repeat blood cultures after 48h to ensure clearance
- faecalis –> ampicillin, pip-tazo, imipenem
- faecium –> linezolid (likely amp and vanco resistant)
Enterobacterales (coliforms)
- investigations
- treatment
- gram (-) bacilli (i.e. E.coli, proteus, enterobacter, klebsellia, citrobacter)
- UTIs, hepatobiliary and intra-abdominal infections, infections from catheters and HAP
- salmonella, shigella, yersinia cause enteritis
- repeat blood cultures are usually unnecessary unless persistent sepsis and fever after 48h of treatment
- endocarditis is VERY rare but check if cultures remain (+)
- major ABX resistance, refer to local antibiogram
- community and not septic –> ceftriaxone
- hospital or septic –> pip-tazo or meropenem
- drain abscesses
Pseudomonas
- investigations
- treatment
- gram (-) bacilli
- lower resp. tract infections in patients with chronic lung disease, HAP
- repeat cultures after 48h to ensure clearance
- look for endocarditis if cultures stay (+)
- refer to local antibiogram
- empiric –> pip-tazo, meropenem, imipenem, ceftazidime
- if critically ill, double coverage with an aminoglycoside (gentamicin) or ciprofloxacin
Candida
- investigations
- treatment
- gram (+) staining yeast, large oval, budding
- C.albicans is #1
- part of normal flora but can be opportunistic (HIV, neutropenia), oral/ cutaneous/ vaginal infections, often serious if nosocomial, can form biofilms, can cause endocarditis/ peritonitis/ meningitis and seed to the eyes
- repeat 2 sets of cultures every 48h until cleared, ID consult
- echo if persistent candidemia or valvular disease
- ophthalmology to look for endopthalmitis
- micafungin empirically, can eventually switch to fluconazole
- replace catheters
Most common cause of non-purulent vs. purulent cellulitis? Treatment?
- non-purulent –> strep pyogenes
- penicillin
- purulent –> staph aureus
- cloxacillin
Most common cause of bacterial sinusitis? Treatment?
- strep pneumo and H. flu
- amoxicillin
- sometimes H.flu will have amoxicillin resistance, so amox-clav is used
Common causes of CAP and HAP? Treatment?
CAP –> step pneumo
- penicillin or amoxicillin
HAP –> pseudomonas
- pip-tazo
Common causes of intra-abdominal infections?
- E.coli is most common (also for UTIs)
- NEVER treat with penicillin, sometimes amoxicillin but more commonly amox-clav or pip-tazo
- Viridans group strep
- penicillin or amoxicillin
- E. faecalis
- penicillin or amoxicillin (NOT if faecium)
- Anaerobes
- amox-clav or pip-tazo
Cephalosporins
- 1st gen
- 2nd gen
- 3rd gen
- what do they not generally treat?
- 1st gen –> soft tissue and skin infections
- oral cephalexin or IV cefazolin to treat cellulitis (unless MRSA)
- 2nd gen –> respiratory tract infections
- cefuroxime for sinusitis, otitis media, CAP
- 3rd gen –> respiratory tract infections
- ceftriaxone for CAP, best against E.coli (unless ESBL) and viridans-group abscesses
*if HAP from pseudomonas, ceftazidime (3rd) and cefipime (4th) - cannot use alone to treat E.faecalis and often anaerobes
Carbapenems
- which one can treat enterococcus?
- which one cannot treat pseudomonas?
- back-up when nothing else works
- drug of choice to treat ESBL and AmpC (meropenem, imipenem, ertrapenem)
- only IMIpenem can treat enterococcus
- ERTRApenem is not useful for pseudomonas
Fluroquinolones
- which one can treat anaerobes?
- mostly used from belly up (except ciprofloxacin which can help with gram (-) GI/GU bugs like E.coli/ESBL/AmpC)
- all effective against atypical bacteria that cause CAP
- only moxi and levo are good against strep pneumo (CAP)
- cipro and levo can treat HAP for pseudomonas
- moxifloxacin can treat anaerobes
Macrolides
- good in the respiratory tract
- azithromycin effective against s. pneumo (CAP) and atypical bacteria
Tetracyclines
- all over the place
- doxycycline for purulent MRSA cellulitis, s.pneumo (CAP), and atypical bacteria
- doxycycline also good prophylaxis for malaria (plasmodium) and to treat Borrelia Burgdorferi (lyme disease)
Clindamycin
- works similarly to penicillin, but also treats purulent cellulitis caused by MRSA
Drugs that can cover MRSA
- doxycycline, clindamycin, cotrimoxazole (TMP-SMX)
- vancomycin, linezolid, daptomycin (gram + specialists, NO gram - activity)
*linezolid and daptomycin are reliable against VRE (vancomycin resistant enterococcus)