According to the Centers for Disease Control, sepsis is the leading cause of hospital deaths in the United States, responsible for an adult death roughly every two minutes. We may know terms like “going septic” or “septic shock”—but what do these even mean, and why is sepsis so dangerous?
Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to infection, in which it overreacts and causes life-threatening side effects. It’s classified into three stages, with the initial stage being characterized by inflammation throughout the body. Symptoms of this initial stage include fever, chills, rapid breathing and an elevated heart rate. The second stage is severe sepsis, which involves organ dysfunction and symptoms that may include confusion, difficulty breathing or low urine output. The most serious and final stage is septic shock, which includes extremely low blood pressure. Septic shock leads to organ failure; the National Institutes of Health report a 30-50% mortality rate, even with emergency intervention.
Any infection can lead to sepsis and requires medical attention as soon as possible, with patients often being admitted into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The NIH reports that bacterial infections are the primary cause of sepsis, responsible for an estimated 60-70% of documented cases.
Sepsis from a viral infection represents 1-15% of cases and typically depends on outbreaks of diseases like COVID or the flu. Fungal infections account for 5-20% of sepsis cases but carry the highest mortality rate at above 50%. Dr. Douglas Drevets, the Chief of Infectious Diseases at OU Health, said “penetrating injuries such as gunshot wounds to the abdomen, severe trauma to the chest, abdomen, pelvis and long bones are often accompanied by sepsis. Burns that cover a high percentage of the body are a higher risk factor. Emergency surgeries that involve the gut or different parts of the bowel are also considered high risk, particularly if the gut developed a hole in it such as a ruptured appendix.”
Other factors may put someone at higher risk for sepsis, according to Drevets, including “a suppressed immune system, like those [who are] on chemotherapy and have extremely low blood counts, or if they have an autoimmune disease which requires suppression of the immune system.”
Drevets said the typical treatment of sepsis is individualized to the patient’s specific symptoms and organs involved. “If the sepsis is following a gunshot wound or severe abdominal or pelvic trauma with a gut injury, you need excellent surgical care and then to receive supportive care and antibiotics as needed in the ICU. If the sepsis is caused by pneumonia or by an infection in someone with extremely low blood counts, then treatment consists of antibiotics along with medications that support the blood pressure. In either case, sometimes respiratory support in the form of a ventilator or emergency hemodialysis is required in the ICU.”
With prompt, appropriate care, many patients who become septic make a full recovery. Drevets noted that long-term effects also depend on each patient and “the specific organ systems that were impacted and the severity of sepsis. Many describe a sort of brain fog after getting out of the hospital that tends to lessen over the next year.” It is important if you have any signs of sepsis after an infection that you seek immediate medical attention—awareness and swift action could be lifesavers.
Don’t Risk It
While any infection has the possibility to cause sepsis, Dr. Drevets noted that there are a few ways to help lessen your risk: “Keeping up to date with vaccines to prevent pneumonia and influenza helps. Also, taking care of chronic medical conditions such as diabetes is important and a good way to help yourself out.”
