Sepsis Can Start from a Simple Cut and End Up Killing You
How do I spot Sepsis?
Sepsis starts with a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)
SIRS is a clinical response to an infectious or noninfectious insult. A patient with SIRS will have at least two of these signs:
- Core temperature below 96.8° F (36° C) or above 100.4° F (38° C).
- Heart rate greater than 90 beats/min.
- Respiratory rate greater than 20 or Paco2 less than 32 mm Hg (normal range, 35 to 45 mm Hg).
pco2 is partial pressure of o2 in the capillary and paco2 is partial pressure of co2 in the arteries. So, one is a measurement of O2 and the other is CO2
- White blood cell (WBC) count less than 4,000 cells/mm3 or greater than 12,000 cells/mm3 (normal range, 4,500 to 10,500 cells/mm3) or greater than 10% immature neutrophils (normal range, 0% to 3%).
Slideshow: What is Sepsis? Symptoms, Treatment, and More
