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Sepsis in adults

Last reviewed: 12 Nov 2024
Last updated: 18 Oct 2024

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • high (>101°F [>38°C]) or low (<96.8°F [<36°C]) temperature
  • tachycardia
  • tachypnea
  • acutely altered mental status
  • poor capillary refill, mottling of the skin, or ashen appearance
  • signs associated with specific source of infection
  • low oxygen saturation
  • arterial hypotension
  • decreased urine output
  • cyanosis
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • purpura fulminans
  • jaundice
  • ileus
Full details

Risk factors

  • age >65 years
  • immunocompromise
  • indwelling intravenous lines or urinary catheters
  • recent surgery or other invasive procedures
  • hemodialysis
  • diabetes mellitus
  • intravenous drug use
  • alcohol use disorder
  • breached skin integrity
  • pregnancy
  • urban residence
  • lung disease
  • male sex
  • non-white ancestry
  • winter season
Full details

Diagnostic tests

1st tests to order

  • blood culture
  • lactate levels
  • CBC with differential
  • blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum electrolytes
  • serum creatinine
  • liver function tests
  • coagulation studies (INR, activated PTT)
  • serum glucose
  • CRP
  • other cultures (e.g., of sputum, stool, urine, wounds, catheters, prosthetic implants, epidural sites, pleural or peritoneal fluid)
  • arterial blood gas (ABG) or venous blood gas (VBG)
  • chest x-ray
  • ECG
Full details

Tests to consider

  • lumbar puncture
  • echocardiogram (transthoracic or transesophageal)
  • ultrasound scan
  • CT chest or abdomen
  • serum procalcitonin
Full details

Treatment algorithm

ACUTE

presumed or confirmed sepsis

Contributors

Authors

Andre C. Kalil, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, FCCM

Professor

Department of Internal Medicine

Division of Infectious Diseases

University of Nebraska Medical Center

Omaha

NE

Disclosures

ACK declares that he has no competing interests.

Kelly Cawcutt, MD, MS, FACP, FIDSA, FCCM

Associate Professor

Department of Internal Medicine

Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep & Allergy

University of Nebraska Medical Center

Omaha

NE

Disclosures

KC has received payment for medical writing from IDSA and CloroxPro. KC has received honoraria for creation of educational materials from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and payment from BD. KC has received honoraria and travel expenses from NAPA. KC has received payment for book proposal review from Elsevier. KC has participated as author, lecturer, and committee member for the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) course and book, providing content on controversies in sepsis.

Acknowledgements

Professor Andre Kalil and Dr Kelly Cawcutt would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Ron Daniels, Dr Matt Inada-Kim, Dr Aamir Saifuddin, Dr Tim Nutbeam, Dr Edward Berry, Dr Lewys Richmond, and Dr Paul Kempen, previous contributors to this topic.

Disclosures

RD has received payment for consultancy on sepsis from Kimal Plc, manufacturers of vascular access devices; from the Northumbria Partnership, a patient safety collaborative; and, where annual leave or other income was compromised in fulfilling his charity duties, from the UK Sepsis Trust. RD has received sponsorship to attend and speak at one meeting from Abbott Diagnostics. He is CEO of the UK Sepsis Trust and Global Sepsis Alliance, and advises HM Government, the World Health Organization, and NHS England on sepsis. Each of these positions demands that he express opinion on strategies around the recognition and management of sepsis. MIK is a national clinical advisor on sepsis to NHS England and a national clinical advisor on deterioration to NHS Improvement. He was reimbursed for a slide set by Relias Learning. AS is the clinical fellow to the National Medical Director at NHS Improvement. AS has been sponsored on two occasions by Dr Falk Pharma UK to attend specialist gastroenterology conferences abroad; there was no contractual obligation to disseminate product information. TN is a clinical adviser to the UK Sepsis Trust. EB, LR, and PK declare that they have no competing interests.

Peer reviewers

Steven M. Opal, MD, FIDSA

Professor of Medicine

Infectious Disease Division

Rhode Island Hospital

Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Providence

RI

Disclosures

SMO declares that he has no competing interests.

Laura Evans, MD, MSc, FCCP, FCCM

Associate Professor

NYU School of Medicine

Medical Director of Critical Care

Bellevue Hospital Center

New York

NY

Disclosures

LE serves as the guidelines co-chair and on the steering committee of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign.

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