Sepsis and bactaraemia

Question 1

What is sepsis?

Answer 1

ORgan dysfunction from dysregulated immune response to infection

Question 2

What is pseudo-bacteraemia?

Answer 2

COntamination of blood through phlebotomy

Question 3

What is occult bacteraemia?

Answer 3

Bacteraemia withotu symptoms

Question 4

Classify bacteraemia is transient, intermittent or continuous.

Answer 4

Transient = occur as result of procedure, endogenous bacteria

Intermittent = occur as result of abscesses or manifestation of infections

Continuous = Intravascular source, consistently present

Question 5

What type of bacteria cause sepsis through lipopolysaccharide?

Answer 5

Gram negative organisms

Question 6

What type of bacteria cause sepsis through exotoxins?

Answer 6

Gram positive organisms

Question 7

How is bacteraemia diagnosed?

Answer 7

Blood cultures: 3 samples are taken, with anaerobic and aerobic bottles for higher detection rates.

Question 8

What contamination must we account for in bacteraemia blood cultures?

Answer 8

2-3% skin flora contamination is expected.

Question 9

What are the three broad areas to focus on in treating bacteraemia?

Answer 9

1. Antimicrobial therapy
   - Identify organisms as fast as possible, otherwise, treat empirically.
2. Source control
   - Drain infected fluid, removal infected catheter etc.
3. Physiologic support
   - Treat the symptoms: IV fluids, mechanical ventilation