Summary
Definition
History and exam
Key diagnostic factors
- fatores de risco
- sinais associados à causa específica de infecção
- alto escore de alerta precoce (por exemplo, NEWS2 de 5 ou mais)
- taquipneia (NEWS2)
- temperatura alta ou baixa, às vezes com calafrios (NEWS2)
- taquicardia (NEWS2)
- estado mental agudamente alterado (NEWS2)
- baixa saturação de oxigênio (NEWS2)
- hipotensão (NEWS2)
- oligúria
- enchimento capilar lentificado, pele com manchas vermelhas e roxas variadas ou com aspecto acinzentado
- cianose
Other diagnostic factors
- mal-estar/letargia
- náuseas/vômitos/diarreia
- púrpura fulminante
- íleo paralítico
- icterícia
Risk factors
- idade >65 anos
- imunocomprometimento
- acessos venosos ou cateteres
- cirurgia recente ou outros procedimentos invasivos
- hemodiálise
- diabetes mellitus
- uso indevido de substâncias por via intravenosa
- Dependência alcoólica
- gestação
- integridade cutânea prejudicada
- residência em área urbana
- doença pulmonar
- sexo masculino
- ascendência não branca
- estação do inverno
Diagnostic tests
1st tests to order
- hemoculturas
- lactato sérico
- débito urinário a cada hora
- hemograma completo
- ureia e eletrólitos (incluindo creatinina)
- glicose sérica
- proteína C-reativa
- procalcitonina sérica
- exames de coagulação
- testes da função hepática
- gasometria
- eletrocardiograma (ECG)
Tests to consider
- análise da urina
- radiografia torácica
- culturas de várias fontes
- punção lombar
- tomografia computadorizada
- ultrassonografia
- teste de antígeno urinário
- swabs virais
- Rastreamento para HIV
- ecocardiograma
Treatment algorithm
no hospital: sepse altamente suspeita e fonte desconhecida ou pouco clara de infecção bacteriana
na comunidade: sepse altamente suspeita e infecção bacteriana confirmada ou altamente suspeita
no hospital: sepse altamente suspeita e fonte clara de infecção bacteriana identificada
Contributors
Expert advisers
Alexander Alexiou, MB, BS, BSc, DCH, FRCEM, Dip IMC RCSEd
Emergency Medicine Consultant
Physician Response Unit Consultant
Barts Health NHS Trust
London’s Air Ambulance
Royal London Hospital
London
UK
Disclosures
AA declares that he has no competing interests.
Clovis Rau, MBBS, BSc, FRCEM, DipIMC
Specialty Registrar Emergency Medicine (ST6)
Barnet Hospital
Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust
London
UK
Disclosures
CR declares that he has no competing interests.
Acknowledgements
BMJ Best Practice would like to gratefully acknowledge the previous team of expert contributors, whose work has been retained in parts of the content:
Ron Daniels MBChB, FRCA
Chief Executive
United Kingdom Sepsis Trust
Chief Executive
Global Sepsis Alliance
Programme Director
Survive Sepsis
Consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthesia
Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
Birmingham
UK
Matt Inada-Kim MBBS, FRCP
Consultant Acute Physician & Sepsis Lead
Department of Acute Medicine
Royal Hampshire County Hospital
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Winchester
UK
Aamir Saifuddin BMBCh, BA, MRCP, AFFMLM
Specialty Registrar in Gastroenterology and General Medicine
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
UK
Tim Nutbeam MSc, Dip IMC FRCEM
Consultant in Emergency Medicine
Clinical Academic
University of Plymouth
Lead Doctor
Devon Air Ambulance Trust
Derriford Hospital
Plymouth
UK
Edward Berry MBChB, MCEM
Specialty Registrar in Emergency Medicine
Derriford Hospital
Plymouth
UK
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 declares that he has no competing interests.
Peer reviewers
Matt Inada-Kim, MBBS, FRCP
Consultant Acute Physician & Sepsis Lead
Department of Acute Medicine
Royal Hampshire County Hospital
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Winchester
UK
Disclosures
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.
Peer reviewer acknowledgements
BMJ Best Practice topics are updated on a rolling basis in line with developments in evidence and guidance. The peer reviewers listed here have reviewed the content at least once during the history of the topic.
Disclosures
Peer reviewer affiliations and disclosures pertain to the time of the review.
References
Key articles
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Suspected sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management. Mar 2024 [internet publication].Full text
NHS England. Sepsis guidance implementation advice for adults. Sep 2017 [internet publication].Full text
Royal College of Physicians. National early warning score (NEWS) 2: standardising the assessment of acute-illness severity in the NHS. December 2017 [internet publication].Full text
Evans L, Rhodes A, Alhazzani W, et al. Surviving sepsis campaign: international guidelines for management of sepsis and septic shock 2021. Crit Care Med. 2021 Nov 1;49(11):e1063-143.Full text Abstract
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Statement on the initial antimicrobial treatment of sepsis. Oct 2022 [internet publication].Full text
Reference articles
A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available to users with access to all of BMJ Best Practice.

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