Sepsis is a complex medical condition that is commonly triggered when the body’s response to an infection becomes aberrant. Instead of effectively fighting the site of infection, the body’s defense mechanisms paradoxically start compromising its own organs, impeding their normal function. You can’t spread sepsis to other people. However, an infection such as staph or MRSA can lead to sepsis, and you can spread some infections like those mentioned to other people.
According to the CDC, anyone can get an infection, and almost any infection, including COVID-19, can lead to sepsis. In a typical year in the United States alone:
- At least 1.7 million adults will develop sepsis.
- At least 350,000 adults who develop sepsis die during their hospitalization or are discharged to hospice.
- 1 in 3 people who dies in a hospital had sepsis during that hospitalization
Progression of Sepsis
In some cases, sepsis can advance to ‘septic shock’, a critical stage characterized by a profound decrease in blood pressure. This drop can jeopardize multiple organs including the lungs, kidneys, and liver. The severity of the resultant damage can be life-threatening.
Prompt Recognition and Intervention
Recognizing the early signs of sepsis and seeking immediate medical attention can significantly enhance survival prospects.
Common Signs & Symptoms
Symptoms might vary among individuals, and the presentation in children may differ from adults. Common indications encompass:
- Alterations in cognitive abilities or mental status.
- Rapid and shallow respiratory pattern.
- Unexplained perspiration.
- A sensation of dizziness or lightheadedness.
- Shivering or chills.
- Signs pertinent to the specific underlying infection, like discomfort during urination for UTIs or an intensifying cough for pneumonia.
Septic Shock Indicators
In the event sepsis progresses to septic shock:
- Difficulty in maintaining upright posture or inability to stand.
- Overwhelming drowsiness or challenges in maintaining alertness.
- Drastic cognitive changes, leading to heightened confusion.
Common Causes
Sepsis stems mainly from bacterial infections, but can be caused viral or fungal infections too. Some prevalent precursors include infections originating in:
- Lungs (e.g., pneumonia).
- Urinary system (kidneys, bladder).
- Digestive tract.
- Bloodstream.
- Medical device insertion sites (e.g., catheters).
- Skin lesions, including burns and wounds.
Risk Enhancers
Certain groups or situations elevate the risk of an infection escalating to sepsis:
- Elderly individuals (over 65 years of age).
- Neonates and infants.
- Immunocompromised patients, including those undergoing cancer treatments or living with HIV.
- Individuals with chronic ailments, such as diabetes, renal disorders, or COPD.
- Extended hospitalization or ICU admissions.
- Patients with in-situ medical devices, like IV catheters or respiratory tubes.
- Recent antibiotic treatment (within the past 90 days).
- Conditions warranting corticosteroid therapies, which can suppress immune capabilities.
Health Risks & Complications
Severe sepsis can compromise blood supply to vital organs like the brain, heart, and kidneys. Additionally, abnormal clotting may occur, leading to tissue damage or destruction from minute clots or ruptured blood vessels.
While many recover from mild sepsis, septic shock presents a daunting mortality rate, ranging from 30% to 40%. Survivors of severe sepsis are also at heightened risk for subsequent infections.
Sepsis-Related Mortality Rates and Trends
According to this study, Between 2004 and 2018, data sourced from the MCOD revealed that for every million people:
- Deaths due to pulmonary sepsis stood at 111.8.
- Abdominal sepsis caused 46.7 deaths.
- Genitourinary sepsis accounted for 52 deaths.
Over this period, a rising trend in mortality was observed across these three categories. Diving deeper into demographics:
- Men exhibited higher death rates from pulmonary and abdominal sepsis but were less affected by genitourinary sepsis compared to women.
- The Black and Native American populations consistently recorded the highest death rates across all categories.
- When juxtaposed with their White counterparts, Hispanics had more fatalities from pulmonary sepsis, yet fewer from genitourinary sepsis.
- Asians recorded the least fatalities from abdominal and genitourinary sepsis. However, their numbers for pulmonary sepsis mirrored that of the White population.
In terms of trends:
- Both White and Native American groups showed an upward trajectory in mortality for all three types.
- Hispanic population figures indicated an uptick in deaths for both abdominal and genitourinary sepsis.
- For the Black and Asian communities, an increase was specifically observed in the abdominal sepsis mortality rate.
How do medical professionals treat this condition?
Patients diagnosed with sepsis are commonly admitted to hospital intensive care units for specialized care. The primary goals for medical professionals are to control the infection, safeguard essential organs, and stabilize blood pressure levels. This treatment regimen often encompasses the administration of antibiotics and intravenous fluids. In severe cases, patients might require assistance with breathing via a ventilator, undergo kidney dialysis, or need surgical intervention to eliminate the infection source.
While extensive research has been conducted, there’s still no approved medication that directly counteracts the erratic or weakened immune reactions associated with sepsis. Due to the diverse immune responses observed in patients and the varied treatment outcomes, researchers are in pursuit of innovative therapeutic options. They aim to pinpoint optimal treatments tailored to individual patients’ needs and circumstances.
Considering Vitastem Ultra for Treatment & Infection Prevention
Vitastem is clinically tested and one of the world’s strongest topical antibiotics. It quickly kills all harmful gram-positive & gram-negative bacteria that are commonly associated with acne, eczema, psoriasis, diabetic wounds, cuts, and others, including more serious infections like staph & MRSA (flesh-eating bacteria), which if not treated and cared for properly, may lead to sepsis.
Seeking Medical Help
Whether you or a loved one has any suspicion of an infection, particularly if the symptoms of sepsis are noticed, it’s paramount to consult with your healthcare provider immediately. Indicators like swift breathing or disorientation may necessitate an emergency intervention.
The early detection and intervention remain pivotal in diagnosing and managing sepsis effectively. Having awareness and understanding the signs of infection can make a lifesaving difference. For those who work in healthcare, please consider using Vitastem Ultra for wound care treatments & infection prevention within your facilities, as it will only help to reduce patient risks of contracting sepsis and/or a variety of other minor to severe infections too.
Considering Vitastem Ultra for Wound Care & Infection Prevention
Vitastem Ultra’s utilizes a very specialized combination of ingredients and chemistry that has hacked the transdermal drug delivery formula that enables medicine to be transported at 10x the strength and depth of other antibiotics available today. Our unique TDD formula stimulates the walls of the skin cells in such a way that they are up to 10x more permeable than normal, allowing for substantially more medicine to enter into the cell, which overwhelms and kills the bacteria so quickly that it does not have ample time to adapt and develop any resistance. This highly concentrated and rapid delivery of medicine to the target wound is what has Vitastem Ultra patients seeing results in 24 hours versus 5 to 7 days.
In addition to treating wounds, Vitastem Ultra also infuses skin cells damaged by the wound and/or infection with vitamin D3 and vitamin C (ascorbic acid). After treating the wound, one’s skin is left treated and rejuvenated. If you or a loved one has and/or is suffering from a mild to severe wound, whether it’s a minor cut or scrape, or laceration, a surgical or diabetic wound, or more severe infections like staph & MRSA, please ask your doctor if Vitastem Ultra can be a solid wound care treatment for your unique needs, so you can get back to living your life fully and avoid any serious health complications that may lead to sepsis. You can also buy Vitastem online.
