Common examples of sepsis misdiagnosis include: Failure or delay to administer empiric intravenous antibiotics. Clinical dehydration and shock not treated appropriately. Blood pressure not obtained promptly.
Many conditions mimic sepsis by meeting criteria for SIRS.
These conditions include: pulmonary embolism (PE), adrenal insufficiency, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), pancreatitis, anaphylaxis, bowel obstruction, hypovolemia, colitis, vasculitis, toxin ingestion/overdose/withdrawal, and medication effect.
In one telephone survey of more than 1,000 hospital physicians in Europe and the United States, half of whom were intensive care specialists, 86% stated that that the symptoms of sepsis could easily be misattributed to other conditions, and 45% felt that they sometimes missed a diagnosis of sepsis [20].
For instance, a patient with severe influenza, malaria, or viral haemorrhagic fever may be septic on presentation, but does not have sepsis as per the definition.
Sepsis is the body's extreme response to an infection. It is a life-threatening medical emergency. Sepsis happens when an infection you already have triggers a chain reaction throughout your body. Infections that lead to sepsis most often start in the lung, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract.
A person with sepsis might have one or more of the following signs or symptoms: High heart rate or weak pulse. Fever, shivering, or feeling very cold. Confusion or disorientation.
Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if:
difficulty breathing (you may notice grunting noises or their stomach sucking under their ribcage), breathlessness or breathing very fast. a weak, high-pitched cry that's not like their normal cry.
Sepsis can overwhelm the body. This can cause vital organs to shut down. This usually starts with the kidneys. Blood pressure can drop dangerously low.
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.
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.
In some cases, symptoms of more severe sepsis or septic shock (when your blood pressure drops to a dangerously low level) develop. These can include: feeling dizzy or faint. a change in mental state – like confusion or disorientation.
It can take several days to get the results of a blood culture. Prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time (PT and PTT), platelet count, and d-dimer: Sepsis can have serious effects on blood clotting inside your body. If the PT and PTT are too high, it can indicate your blood is not clotting well.
Procalcitonin (PCT) is an acute phase reactant that is used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of sepsis and as a guide for antibiotic stewardship.
However, sepsis is not the only disease that can affect your blood. Bloodborne pathogens can cause infections and diseases including HIV, hepatitis, MRSA, and C. diff and can be transmitted through contact with an infected person's blood or body fluids.
It's clear that sepsis doesn't occur without an infection in your body, but it is possible that someone develops sepsis without realizing they had an infection in the first place.
However, there might be other symptoms related to sepsis based on where the infection is. Abdominal pain is one such symptom.
When treatment or medical intervention is missing, sepsis is a leading cause of death, more significant than breast cancer, lung cancer, or heart attack. Research shows that the condition can kill an affected person in as little as 12 hours.
Sepsis can often be misdiagnosed due to the following: Blood pressure was not obtained promptly. Serum lactate and full blood count was not measured. Symptoms of sepsis are missed or misinterpreted.
What causes sepsis? Most sepsis is caused by bacterial infections, but it can also be caused by viral infections, such as COVID-19 or influenza; fungal infections; or noninfectious insults, such as traumatic injury.
Examples include ceftriaxone (Rocephin), piperacillin-tazobactam, cefepime (Maxipime), ceftazidime (Fortaz), vancomycin (Firvanq), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), and levofloxacin (Levaquin). If you have mild sepsis, you may receive a prescription for antibiotics to take at home.
WBC, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) are the conventional markers used for diagnosis of sepsis.
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.
NICE - the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence - urges hospital staff to treat people with life-threatening sepsis within one hour, in its quality standard. In clinical practice, this is often referred to as the 'golden hour' after diagnosis.