Sepsis/Septicemia

Sepsis, also known as Septicemia, is a life-threatening complication that can happen when bacteria from another infection enter the blood and spread throughout the body. It needs urgent hospital treatment, as it can quickly lead to organ failure, tissue damage, and death. When an infection goes wrong sepsis occurs and it is a very dangerous disease. This initial stage is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and symptoms include fever, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, and confusion. There may also be symptoms related to a specific infection, such as a cough with pneumonia, or painful urination with a kidney infection. The very young, old, and people with a weakened immune system may have no symptoms of a specific infection, and the body temperature may be low or normal instead of having a fever. Severe sepsis causes poor organ function or blood flow. The presence of low blood pressure, high blood lactate, or low urine output may suggest poor blood flow. Septic shock is low blood pressure due to sepsis that does not improve after fluid replacement.