CHI: Sepsis is a Medical Emergency
First, what is sepsis? It is the body’s overwhelming response to infection or injury. It can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, amputations, and death. Who can get sepsis? Anyone! It affects all age groups and all levels of health. However, it is more risky for the very young and very old, people with underlying health conditions, and people with weakened immune systems.
Everyone should know the symptoms of sepsis. Any time you have an infection – you can develop sepsis. The symptoms of sepsis are: T – Temperature:
Higher or lower than normal I – Infection: May have signs and symptoms of an infection M – Mental Decline: Confused, sleepy, difficult to arouse
E – Extremely Ill: Severe pain, discomfort, shortness of breath.
If you have a combination of these symptoms, especially if there is a recent history of a cut, surgery, invasive procedure, or infection, call 911 or go to a hospital with an advocate and say “I am concerned about sepsis.”
Infection, whether bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic, can cause sepsis. Infections and sepsis can develop if you cut yourself or have a bug bite, or be something big, like pneumonia or meningitis. Infections can be prevented by vaccinations, hand washing, and going to your provider if you feel you may have developed an infection.
Sepsis can be very serious. Here are some facts about sepsis:
Sepsis is the leading cause of death in hospitals.
87 out of 100 cases of sepsis start in the community, not in the hospital
The risk of dying from sepsis increases by as much as 8% for every hour treatment is delayed.
Sepsis affects almost 49 million people worldwide every year and is the most common cause of death in children. 3.4 million kids die every year from sepsis.
In the United States, sepsis is diagnosed every 20 seconds. We have more than 1.7 million cases every year.
270,000 in the U.S. die each year from sepsis.
More than 75,000 kids develop severe sepsis and 6,800 die in the U.S. every year.
More than 261,000 pregnant moms die each year in the U.S.
38 amputations a day are due to sepsis
Up to 50% of all sepsis survivors have longterm physical and/or psychological effects
Sepsis is the #1 cost of hospitalization in the U.S. – an estimated $62 billion are spent in hospitals and nursing home due to sepsis.
Despite all this, more than 34% of Americans have never heard of sepsis.
The most important take-aways:
1. SEPSIS IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY
2. IF YOU SUSPECT SEPSIS, CALL 911 OR GO TO A HOSPITAL RIGHT AWAY
For more information, visit www.sepsis.org/ references. Information in this article is from the sepsis alliance, who are supported in part by an educational grant from Merck & Co., Inc.