Every year on September 13, we observe World Sepsis Day. This occasion is marked to raise awareness among individuals about a serious and potentially life-threatening medical condition known as sepsis. Its focus includes disseminating information about the causes, symptoms, prevention, and treatment of this ailment. 

 

What Is Sepsis?

Dr. Balkishan Gupta, who is the Director-Minimal Invasive GI, HPB Surgery and Old Wounds like Gangrene & Diabetic Foot surgeon, at Marengo Asia Hospitals Faridabad said, "Sepsis is not an infection but it's a life-threatening condition caused by your body’s excessive immune response to an infection in the bloodstream. Bacterial, fungal and viral infections may cause sepsis and septic shock."


"Certain types of infections such as bacterial infection of the blood (bacteremia), infection in the bones (osteomyelitis), in various parts of the digestive tract, gallbladder, liver, abdominal cavity, and appendix, in the lungs resulting in pneumonia, bacterial infections caused due to wounds on the skin, cellulitis, and other types of skin inflammations, infection of the brain, its coverings called meninges, and spinal cord may also put people at the risk of sepsis."



Symptoms You Shouldn't Ignore:

 

Dr. Balkishan Gupta also shared the symptoms of sepsis one shouldn't ignore:



  • High grade fever 

  • Low blood pressure 

  • Irregularity in the heartbeats

  • Breathing difficulties

  • Reduction in the frequency of urination

  • Abrupt changes in the mental condition 

  • Discoloured skin at the infected areas

  • A sharp decrease in the platelet count

  • A feeling of unpleasant coldness 

  • Loss of consciousness 




Who All Are At High Risk?

 

Dr. Aparna Bhanushali, who is the Head of Growth & Scientific Support at HaystackAnalytics said, "While adults above the age of 65, people with weakened immune systems, and those suffering from chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, cancer, and kidney disease are at higher risk for sepsis, it continues to disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women, newborns, and people in low resource settings and income groups. To add to this disparity, data and statistics on cases of sepsis remain largely unreported with only hospitals and intensive care units in high income countries reporting the majority of cases, leading to countless deaths and ailments, and a persistent knowledge gap that keeps widening due to the paucity of data from the rest of the world."

 

Complications That May Result Due To Sepsis:

 

Dr. Balkishan Gupta also shared the complications that may result due to sepsis. He sais, "If the symptoms are left untreated, these may get worse. Patients may suffer from severe damages in their kidneys, lungs, heart, and brain. Blood clotting and dead tissues in the limbs, fingers, and toes may raise the risk of amputation of the affected parts in extreme cases. Spread of infections in the septic shock stage may turn fatal in some cases.

 

Diagnosis Of Sepsis: 

 

Dr. Gupta said, "First, a blood test is done to detect the complications like infection, clotting problems, abnormal liver or kidney function, decreased amount of oxygen, an electrolyte imbalance, and the acidity of your blood."

 

Treatment Of Sepsis:

 

On the basis of state and symptoms of the patients, treatment is followed. "Initially, the patients are prescribed antibiotics. If the patient is in a critical condition, then Oxygen Intravenous (IV) fluids is recommended to support the organs.  A ventilator for breathing problems is also advised. To treat kidney related problems, the patients are put on Kidney dialysis. In some severe cases, Surgery is also considered to remove infected tissue," said Dr. Gupta.

 

Tips To Prevent This Illness:

 

In this regard, Dr. Umang Agrawal, who is an Infectious Disease Consultant at P. D. Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Mahim said, "The best way to prevent sepsis is to have good hand hygiene and infection control practices. Everyone should follow the 5 elements of hand hygiene that has been advised why WHO. These particular interventions have greatly reduced the risk of sepsis in hospitalised patients."



 

"Apart from that, there are specific steps of hand hygiene that must be followed to prevent the occurrence of sepsis," he further added.

 

He also said, "The other important ways in which sepsis can be prevented is to make sure to have good clean surfaces, regular washing of the patients' surroundings, regular cleaning of the surfaces incase there has been spill to prevent the transmission from one organism to the other. Those particular spills need to be managed in accordance with government home guidelines and might want to use certain hyper-chloride solutions."


 

Why Sepsis Can Be More Dangerous Than Cancer?


According to Dr. Aparna Bhanushali, "The reason sepsis can be more deadly than cancer or heart ailments lies in its swift and aggressive nature. Unlike chronic diseases like cancer or heart disease, which often develop gradually over time, sepsis can strike suddenly and progress rapidly within hours. This rapid progression makes early detection and intervention critical."

"Sepsis can lead to a cascade of damaging effects on vital organs, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and brain. As these organs fail, the body's ability to function deteriorates rapidly. In severe cases, sepsis can result in multiple organ failure and death," she further added.

Talking about the mortality rate of Sepsis, she said that it has a mortality rate of 30% -50% and every hour of delay in the diagnosis increases the rate by 8%.

This highlights the criticality of early identification of the infection causing agent and initiating the right antibiotic treatment. 

 

"One factor contributing to the high mortality rate of sepsis is its potential to be misdiagnosed or overlooked, especially in the early stages when symptoms may be vague and similar to those of other common illnesses. This delayed recognition can lead to a delay in treatment, which can be fatal. Another reason for high mortality is infection with an organism that may be resistant to the antibiotics that are prescribed," Dr. Aparna said.

On concluding, she said, "Efforts are being made to improve sepsis awareness, early detection, and treatment protocols to reduce its mortality rate. Nevertheless, sepsis remains a significant global health challenge, and its rapid onset and ability to affect anyone makes it a formidable adversary, causing more immediate and unpredictable fatalities compared to chronic diseases like cancer or heart ailments. However there is a strong unmet need to develop innovative solutions that not only can rapidly identify the causative pathogen but also determine anti -microbial resistance (AMR)"