Sepsis is a medical emergency, responsible for more hospital deaths than breast and prostate cancer combined.
Doctors use various treatments to manage sepsis. This may include antibiotics and IV fluids given directly into a vein (intravenous or IV), surgery to drain abscesses and mechanical ventilation.
Antibiotics
Sepsis occurs when our immune systems, normally designed to defend us against germs, overreacts in response to serious infections by inflaming organs and blocking enough oxygen from reaching their centers – which in turn could lead to organ failure and shock – without sepsis and blood poisoning treatment this medical emergency requires immediate medical intervention.
Doctors utilize various tests to diagnose sepsis and identify its source, such as urine and blood tests and imaging scans. As soon as sepsis has been confirmed, it’s vital that antibiotics be prescribed as soon as possible in order to minimize life-threatening complications or death.
Antibiotics are typically administered intravenously in liquid form over 10-14 days and will likely also include fluid therapy to avoid dehydration and kidney failure.
Oxygen
Sepsis occurs when your immune system responds drastically to an infection. Symptoms include fever, rapid heart rate and breathing difficulties. Organ damage may occur. You should seek medical assistance immediately as chances of severe sepsis or even septic shock increases by 4-9 percent each hour that passes without treatment being sought.
Your doctor may suggest additional oxygen through tubes placed in your nostrils or a mask, antibiotics and fluids to combat infection (including drainage of an abscess (a lump under the skin)), surgery to remove dead tissue and blood pressure drop/stoppage which could become life threatening). In severe sepsis cases, blood pressure drops dramatically limiting blood supply to organs – potentially ending your life!
Vasopressors
Antibiotics should be administered intravenously (IV). Doctors use broad-spectrum antibiotics that work against multiple bacteria; fluids will also be given to rehydrate your body and oxygen therapy can be done using masks or tubes in your nose for more oxygen to reach your blood. When necessary, medical teams can drain an abscess or perform surgery to address the source of infection.
Early diagnosis and fast treatment are crucial components of sepsis survival. Anyone suspecting they might have it should call 999 immediately or go straight to an emergency department as every hour without intervention increases the chance of sepsis or septic shock escalating rapidly.
Mechanical Ventilation
If a patient suffers from severe sepsis or septic shock, they may need to be put on a ventilator (breathing machine). This device helps them breathe when their bodies can no longer do.
Individuals also require adequate amounts of fluids in their system. Adequate intake can help ensure blood pressure does not drop dangerously low and cause shock; health care staff can administer IV fluids, such as normal saline solution, to keep their kidneys working smoothly.
Urinary catheters are tubes inserted into the bladder to drain urine. A catheter may be left in for as little as an hour or up to several days as needed.
Surgery
Sepsis can develop after an operation when bacteria penetrate the surgical wound through surgical tools or via stool or urine entering it.
Once in hospital, antibiotics are the mainstay treatment for sepsis. Antibiotics should be given intravenously (IV). Doctors usually administer this therapy within an hour of diagnosing an infection in order to lower risk for serious complications or death.
As additional treatments, fluids to rehydrate and vasopressor medications to tighten your blood vessels and raise your heart rate may be prescribed, or surgical interventions such as chest tube drainage for emphysema, endoscopic or percutaneous biliary draining and tissue debridement may also be required depending on where the infection has originated from.