NHMMI Spreads Awareness On World Sepsis Day

Positive India:Dr.Pradeep Sharma:
Sepsis is a life threating complication of an infection. Sepsis can occur following infections by a bacterial, fungal, virus or a parasite. Commonly called ‘blood poisoning’, sepsis is the adverse consequences of body’s response to infection which results in organ damage.

sepsis is one of the most common causes of deaths, readmission and healthcare cost in hospitals. 80% of the sepsis cases occur outside and pneumonia and urinary infections are the one of the commonest causes. When infection involves multiple organs of body, it turns into a syndrome called sepsis. As per world health organization every one in six patients is diagnosed as sepsis in hospitals and it prompted WHO in 2017 to declare sepsis as global health priority. To create awareness about sepsis, every year ‘world sepsis day’ is celebrate on 13th September. Sepsis if not controlled in time can lead to a serious condition called septic shock in which blood pressure goes dangerously low levels and death can occur if aggressive intensive care (ICU) treatment is not received.

Signs of sepsis are : Slurred speech, Extreme shivering or fever , Passing no urine , Severe breathlessness, It feel like dying and Skin mottled or discolored.

Most important factor to decide outcome in sepsis is right time to present in hospital and receive antimicrobial agent (commonly called Antibiotics) early. There are studies that has proven that each hour delay in receiving antibiotics increases mortality by 6%. Most importantly the delay in presentation to healthcare leads to severe sepsis and has high mortality and treatment cost.
Moreover patient who survive sepsis , has longer hospital stay, physical , psychological and cognitive dysfunction.
For an example, A small urinary infection in a diabetic patient may turn in to life threatening sepsis if antibiotics not received on time and blood sugar is not adequately controlled. Poor sugar control decreases ability to protect from infection as it lowers down the function of white blood cells which are first line of defense in our body from any infection.
Other class of patients who are on risk of developing sepsis are cancer patient on treatment and organ transplant patients.

All possible measures to be taken for prevention of infection like using mask in public place, avoiding contact with a patient , washing hands with soap, care of a wound etc.

In summary sepsis can be prevented by timely and proper treatment. Early visit to a healthcare facility, timely administration of appropriate antibiotics and rapid treatment are essential to combat sepsis and save life.