Sepsis: What you need to know

Sepsis is the body’s extreme, life-threatening response to an infection. It is a medical emergency that happens when an infection you already have triggers a chain reaction throughout your body. Without timely treatment, sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death.

What Causes Sepsis?
Sepsis is caused by an infection. The infection can be viral, bacterial, or fungal, or caused by a parasite. It can be an infection that started in a paper cut or bug bite, or a larger infection, like pneumonia or meningitis. Sometimes, doctors never learn what the type of infection or where it originated.

Who Gets Sepsis?
Sepsis is an equal-opportunity killer, affecting people of all ages and levels of health. However, very young children, older adults, people with chronic illness and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk.

Can Sepsis Be Prevented?
You can’t always prevent sepsis, but the risk drops when you take steps to prevent or treat infections as quickly as possible. You can do this by staying current with vaccinations, practicing good hygiene, and seeking medical help when you suspect you have an infection.

Signs of Sepsis

Critical Facts About Sepsis

• Sepsis is the leading cause of death in hospitals.
• 19% (19 out of 100) of people hospitalized with sepsis are readmitted within 30 days.
• As many as 87% (87 out of 100) of sepsis cases start in the community.
• The risk of dying from sepsis increases by as much as 8% for every hour treatment is delayed.

Sepsis affects nearly 49 million people worldwide each year.

• More than 1.7 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with sepsis each year; that is 1 every 20 seconds.
• An estimated 350,000 adults die from sepsis each year in the U.S., 1 every 2 minutes; this is more than from prostate cancer, breast cancer, and opioid overdoses combined.
• More than 75,000 children develop severe sepsis each year in the U.S., and 6,800 die – more than from pediatric cancers.
• Sepsis causes at least 261,000 maternal deaths each year world-wide and is a cause of increasing pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S.
• In 2012, there were more than 13,700 sepsis-related amputations in the U.S. This works out to an average of 38 amputations per day.

Source: www.sepsis.org/references

Where Sepsis Starts

• 87% of sepsis cases begin in the community: Nearly 90% of sepsis cases start outside the hospital. This makes community awareness and early recognition critical before arriving at the Emergency Department.
• Common Infection Triggers: Most sepsis cases originate from four common types of infections:

Infections that can lead to Sepsis

• Lung infections (pneumonia/flu/COVID-19)
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Gastrointestinal (stomach/gut) infections
• Skin or soft tissue infections

Life After Sepsis

https://www.sepsis.org/education/patients-family/sepsis-survivors/

Every Hour Counts: The risk of mortality increases by 4% to 9% for every hour that targeted treatment and antibiotic administration are delayed.

• Fast Emergency Action: Treating sepsis with the same urgency as a heart attack or stroke dramatically improves survival rates.\
• Up to 50% of sepsis patients experience Post-Sepsis Syndrome (PSS): Half of all sepsis survivors face long-term physical, cognitive or emotional challenges (such as chronic pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, or memory deficits).
• Impact on Work & Daily Life: Over 75% of employed sepsis survivors require at least one month off work post-discharge to recover.
• Despite its high mortality rate, only about two-thirds of the adult population in the U.S. recognizes the term "sepsis," and far fewer can name its warning signs.
• Knowing the T.I.M.E. signs and asking emergency providers "Could this be sepsis?" saves lives.

Resources

www.sepsis.org

• Sepsis Facts
• Sepsis Caregivers Guide
• CDC information

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