Nausea, vomiting, right upper abdominal pain, and sometimes fever are the most common presenting symptoms for gallbladder infection. Many patients present to a community hospital emergency room (OR) close to where they live for initial management.
The main symptom of acute cholecystitis is a sudden sharp pain in the upper right side of your tummy (abdomen) that spreads towards your right shoulder. The affected part of the abdomen is usually extremely tender, and breathing deeply can make the pain worse.
This can cause vital organs to shut down. This usually starts with the kidneys. Blood pressure can drop dangerously low. This can cause less oxygen and nutrients to reach your kidneys.
If the infection has spread or you have a generalized infection, you may develop other signs and symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, pain, etc. Sometimes however, you may have an infection and not know it, and not have any symptoms.
Without appropriate treatment, acute cholecystitis can sometimes lead to potentially life-threatening complications. The main complications of acute cholecystitis are: the death of gallbladder tissue (gangrenous cholecystitis) – which can cause a serious infection that could spread throughout the body.
Sepsis and septic shock can result from an infection anywhere in the body, such as cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder), pneumonia, influenza, or urinary tract infections. Worldwide, one-third of people who develop sepsis die.
In most cases, an attack of cholecystitis lasts 2 to 3 days.
Infection: Waiting to get surgery can increase the risk of infection when you have acute cholecystitis. If the infection spreads, this can lead to sepsis, a potentially life-threatening condition. Pancreatitis: Don't wait when you have gallstones that are blocking the pancreatic duct.
The most common gallstone symptom is severe abdominal pain in the upper right area of the stomach, which can spread to the shoulder or upper back. You may also vomit and feel nauseous. Seek emergency medical care if these symptoms last more than two hours or you have a fever.
Sepsis can be divided into three stages: sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock.
If gallstones lodge in a bile duct and cause a blockage, it eventually results in severe life-threatening complications such as bile duct inflammation and infection, pancreatitis or cholecystitis (an inflammation of gallbladder). In addition, if left untreated, it might increase risk of “gallbladder cancer”.
The organs more frequently affected are kidneys, liver, lungs, heart, central nervous system, and hematologic system. This multiple organ failure is the hallmark of sepsis and determines patients' course from infection to recovery or death.
There are many causes of hepatobiliary sepsis. Because sepsis is serious and very dangerous, it is important to get prompt medical attention to ensure you get treated early and to prevent any further complications.
Most people make a full recovery from sepsis. But it can take time. You might continue to have physical and emotional symptoms. These can last for months, or even years, after you had sepsis.
Treatment to cure an infected gallbladder (cholecystitis) may include antibiotics to treat the infection or gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy). The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ located under the liver that stores bile, a fluid that helps the body break down fat in food.
Gallbladder diseases are most often caused by gallstones, which can block the flow of bile through the bile ducts, causing inflammation and pain. Most gallbladder diseases are treated with gallbladder removal surgery.
Inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) is extraordinarily painful, but there are cases when this pain is an indicator of something more serious. It is possible for the gallbladder to rupture in a condition known as a gallbladder perforation. Known as acute cholecystitis is a life-threatening condition.
Sepsis is known as the 'silent killer' because its symptoms often mimic that of other illnesses such as the flu or gastro. But, if it is identified and treated early, patients can recover.
As sepsis worsens or septic shock develops, an early sign, particularly in older people or the very young, may be confusion or decreased alertness. Blood pressure decreases, yet the skin is paradoxically warm. Later, extremities become cool and pale, with peripheral cyanosis and mottling.