how long does it take for a person to show signs of a septic blood infection?
Question:
Answers:
He falls into one of the high risk.
- He has an infection, especially on that's known to be gram-negative
- His blood pressure has fallen 25% below what's normal for him.
- He's hyperventilating but doesn't have any respiratory dysfunction or acidosis.
- He has a high fever with hot, dry, flushed skin.
- his legs feel cool and look mottled.
If you detect these early warning signs in a patient, get in touch with his doctor immediately. Draw blood and send it to the laboratory for stat analysis. You'll need a complete blood count. ABG analysis, liver function tests, culture and sensitivity testing, and a type and crossmatch. A urine sample should also be obtained and analyzed.
The patient's vital signs and neurologic status, especially level of consciousness, must be assessed frequently - every 15 minutes. Inspect his skin closely for color, mottling, and impending breakdown.
Sorry to hear of the loss of your M-I-L..:(
Other Answers:
Alternative names
Blood poisoning; Bacteremia with sepsis
Definition Return to top
Septicemia is the presence of bacteria in the blood (bacteremia) and is often associated with severe disease.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors Return to top
Septicemia is a serious, life-threatening infection that gets worse very quickly. It can arise from infections throughout the body, including infections in the lungs, abdomen, and urinary tract. It may come before or at the same time as infections of the bone (osteomyelitis ), central nervous system (meningitis ), or other tissues.
Septicemia can rapidly lead to septic shock and death. Septicemia associated with some organisms (germs) such as meningococci can lead to shock, adrenal collapse, and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, a condition called Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome.
Septicemia can begin with spiking fevers and chills, rapid breathing and heart rate, the outward appearance of being seriously ill (toxic) and a feeling of impending doom. These symptoms rapidly progress to shock with decreased body temperature (hypothermia), falling blood pressure, confusion or other changes in mental status, and blood-clotting abnormalities evidenced by a specific type of red spots on the skin (petechiae and ecchymosis).
Symptoms Return to top
fever (sudden onset, often spiking)
chills
toxic looking (looks acutely ill)
changes in mental state
irritable
lethargic
anxious
agitated
unresponsive
comatose
shock
cold
clammy
pale
cyanotic (blue)
unresponsive
skin signs associated with clotting abnormalities
petechiae
ecchymosis (often large, flat, purplish lesions that do not blanch when pressed)
gangrene (early changes in the extremities suggesting decreased or absent blood flow)
decreased or no urine output
Signs and tests Return to top
Physical examination may show:
low blood pressure
low body temperature or fever
signs of associated disease (meningitis, epiglottitis, pneumonia, cellulitis, or others)
Tests that can confirm infection include:
blood culture
urine culture
CSF culture
culture of any suspect skin lesion
CBC
platelet count
clotting studies
PT
PTT
fibrinogen levels
blood gas
Treatment Return to top
This disorder must be treated in a hospital, usually with admission to an intensive care unit.
Intravenous (IV) fluids are given to maintain the blood pressure. Strong IV drugs called sympathomimetics are often needed to maintain the blood pressure. Oxygen therapy is begun to maintain oxygen saturation.
The infection is treated with broad spectrum antibiotics (those that are effective against a wide range of organisms) before the organism is identified. Once cultures have identified the specific organism that is responsible for the infection, antibiotics that are specific for that organism are begun.
Plasma or other treatment may be needed for correction of clotting abnormalities.
Expectations (prognosis) Return to top
Septic shock has a high death rate, exceeding 50%, depending on the type of organism involved. The organism involved and how quickly the patient is hospitalized will determine the outcome.
Complications Return to top
irreversible shock
Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome
adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
Calling your health care provider Return to top
Septicemia is not common but is devastating. Early recognition may prevent progression to shock.
Any child with fever, shaking chills, and who looks acutely ill should be seen immediately as an emergency.
Any child with evidence of bleeding into his skin should be seen immediately as an emergency.
Any child who has been ill and has any changes in mental status should be seen immediately as an emergency.
Call your health care provider if your child is not current on vaccinations or has not had immunizations for Haemophilus influenza B, commonly referred to as a HIB shot. If your child has a damaged spleen from any disease or has had it removed, schedule an appointment for an immunization against pneumococcal disease.
Prevention Return to top
Appropriate treatment of localized infections can prevent septicemia. HIB vaccine for children has already reduced the number of cases of Haemophilus septicemia (and Haemophilus meningitis, epiglottitis, and periorbital cellulitis ) and is a routine part of the recommended childhood immunization schedule.
Children who have had their spleen removed or who have diseases that damage the spleen (such as sickle cell anemia ) should receive pneumococcal vaccine. Pneumococcal vaccine is not part of the routine childhood immunization schedule.
Close contacts (parents, siblings, friends) of septic children with certain organisms such as pneumococcus, meningococcus, and Haemophilus may require preventive antibiotic therapy. This will be prescribed by the health care provider and the type of antibiotic will be determined by the organism involved.
Update Date: 10/27/2005
that's why there's doctors and medicine and why they should be used whenever possible!
It depends on a number of factors: strength of the bacteria, Age of the victim, brain activity, sight, strenght etc.
No the symptoms of sepsis come on strong and quick. It starts with a fever, then the infection spreads rather quickly.
Your bones and joints, like nearly every part of your body, can fall prey to infection. Joint infections (septic or infectious arthritis) can damage cartilage and tissue within days. Bone infections, osteomyelitis (os-te-o-mi-uh-LI-tis), may fester for years and become debilitating if untreated.
Bacteria, viruses, fungi and other germs are the culprits in these types of infections. They originate from an infection or injury elsewhere in your body. The germs from those sites are carried to your bones or joints through the bloodstream. Alternatively, the germs may enter a bone or joint directly from trauma or a nearby infection. For example, a sinus infection can spread directly into neighboring bones.
Short-lived (acute) infections usually are treated and eliminated. When these infections don't go away with treatment, they can lead to a long-term (chronic) condition. Treatment can help control chronic infections, but the infections may reoccur or relapse.
Approximately two to five of every 10,000 people experience one of these diseases. They can afflict any bone or joint at any age.
In rare circumstances bone and joint infections can be fatal. However, early diagnosis and proper treatment — especially with the use of appropriate antibiotics, which attack bacterial infections — can help control or eliminate the infection.
Signs and symptoms
The signs and symptoms of osteomyelitis and septic arthritis vary depending on the location of the infection, the stage to which it has developed and the cause of the infection. However, general signs and symptoms include:
Nagging bone or joint pain that worsens with movement and fails to improve with pain medications or rest
Sudden, intense bone or joint pain, especially when touching the area or bending the joint
Decreased range of motion in a joint
Skin redness, warmth and tenderness
Open skin sores and drainage
Weight loss
Fatigue
Irritability
Fever and chills
Causes
The main sources of bone and joint infections are:
The bloodstream. Blood-borne organisms from an infection elsewhere in your body — for example pneumonia in your lungs — can eventually spread to a bone or joint.
Direct injury. An injury such as a puncture wound, animal bite or even surgery can introduce contaminants directly to your bones or joints.
The bacterium staphylococcus is the most common cause of both osteomyelitis and septic arthritis. Other common culprits for both types of infections include E. coli and streptococcus. Another frequent instigator of septic arthritis in adults is the bacterium that causes the sexually-transmitted disease gonorrhea.
Pneumonia
Gonorrhea
Risk factors
Children, older adults — especially those with bedsores — and individuals with weakened immune systems are at increased risk of bone and joint infections. So are those with metal in their bodies, such as plates, screws or artificial (prosthetic) joints, because these implants provide a surface that bacteria easily adhere to and multiply on. Such a formation of bacteria is called biofilm, which protects germs from antibiotics and bodily defenses.
You're also at increased risk of these infections if you have diabetes, you use intravenous street drugs, you're on hemodialysis, you've had an organ transplant, you have a history of urinary tract infections or you've had your spleen removed. Previous surgery on the bone or joint and bleeding or clot formation following surgery also increase risk as do some medications, such as high-dose corticosteroids and immunosuppressive medications that weaken your body's resistance to germs.
In the case of septic arthritis, if you have gonorrhea, you're especially susceptible. You're also at increased risk if you have joint disease, such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis (RA); the incidence of septic arthritis in those with RA is at least 14 times greater than in the general population.
I know this is a really long answer! Sorry, but I Knew were this info was so I pasted it here for you. Information was pasted from mayoclinic.com
Source(s):
Mayoclinic.com
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