The Importance Of Sepsis
Sepsis is a common and devastating syndrome that represents a significant healthcare burden worldwide.
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection. It is a serious bodywide response to bacteremia or another infection. Sepsis occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight the infection trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body. This inflammation can trigger a cascade of changes that can damage multiple organ systems, causing them to fail.(1) When accompanied by evidence of hypoperfusion or dysfunction of at least one organ system, this becomes “severe sepsis”. Finally, where severe sepsis is accompanied by hypotension or need for vasopressors, despite adequate fluid resuscitation, the term “septic …show more content…
International estimates of incidence vary, but consensus points to approximately 300 cases per 100,000 population per annum.(2) As comparators, myocardial infarction affects around 200 patients per 100,000 per year (2010)(3) and stroke is around 300 (2010).(4)
It is probably that Sepsis incidence has been dramatically increasing over the last decade.
Each year in the UK, it is estimated that more than 100,000 people are admitted to hospital with sepsis and around 37,000 people will die as a result of the condition. Increasing severity correlates with increasing mortality, so, as a result of problems with vital organs, up to four in every 10 people with severe sepsis will die. Septic shock is even more serious, with an estimated six in every 10 cases proving fatal. Moreover some people with severe sepsis and most people with septic shock require admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), where the body’s organs can be supported while the infection is
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection. It is a serious bodywide response to bacteremia or another infection. Sepsis occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight the infection trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body. This inflammation can trigger a cascade of changes that can damage multiple organ systems, causing them to fail.(1) When accompanied by evidence of hypoperfusion or dysfunction of at least one organ system, this becomes “severe sepsis”. Finally, where severe sepsis is accompanied by hypotension or need for vasopressors, despite adequate fluid resuscitation, the term “septic …show more content…
International estimates of incidence vary, but consensus points to approximately 300 cases per 100,000 population per annum.(2) As comparators, myocardial infarction affects around 200 patients per 100,000 per year (2010)(3) and stroke is around 300 (2010).(4)
It is probably that Sepsis incidence has been dramatically increasing over the last decade.
Each year in the UK, it is estimated that more than 100,000 people are admitted to hospital with sepsis and around 37,000 people will die as a result of the condition. Increasing severity correlates with increasing mortality, so, as a result of problems with vital organs, up to four in every 10 people with severe sepsis will die. Septic shock is even more serious, with an estimated six in every 10 cases proving fatal. Moreover some people with severe sepsis and most people with septic shock require admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), where the body’s organs can be supported while the infection is