Pediatric Sepsis

Septic shock is the leading cause of death for patients in intensive care units and is the final stage in a continuum of infectious and inflammatory processes. This continuum begins with bacteremia, which is the presence of bacteria in the blood. Normally the body’s immune system can fight off a localized infection caused by a small amount of bacteria in the blood and the person will remain asymptomatic. However, a hospitalized patient could be immunocompromised, have a

Sepsis is defined by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) as “the presence (probable or documented) of infection together with systemic manifestations of infection” (Dellinger et al.,

There is a disease continuum with increasing severity if not treated or not responsive to treatment o Sepsis

Under the Core measures, Sepsis is one of the problem-focused trigger for systemic infection and if untreated which can lead to death. In United States, it is the 11th leading cause of death and consumes the large amount of costs about $20.3 billion in 2011 (Jones et al.,2016). According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1.5 million people diagnosed with sepsis, and at least 250,000 patients die from that yearly (CDC, 2017). The evidence-based research revealed with results of certain pre existing conditions, pathophysiological studies, preventive measures and sepsis bundle for treating and preventing sepsis to save the life of the patients.

Sepsis is a severe complication of an inflammatory response due to various pathogens with the mortality rates ranging anywhere between twenty-five to thirty percent (Epstein, Dantes, Magill, & Fiore, 2016). Sepsis can be precipitated by various infections including some of the most common ones, like urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and cellulitis. An early sepsis recognition is crucial in improving patient outcomes and decreasing mortality rate. Thus, it is very important for a health care provider to start the necessary diagnostics and implementation of fluids, antibiotics, vasopressors and other necessary treatments based on the

et al., 2008). Sepsis is a frequent cause of admission to intensive care units (ICUs) and it

Infection is a major concern for the child receiving treatment for cancer is the risk for the development of difficulties secondary to treatment. Major complications include fever, bleeding, and anemia. The nurse caring for the child with a fever must be aware of the signs and symptoms of septic shock. If a child with a fever also has an absolute neutrophil count lower than 500/mm3 they are at risk for overwhelming infection, general illness, dehydration, seizures in young infants and children, and the invasion of organisms producing secondary infections. The healthcare team will use blood, stool, urine, and nasopharyngeal cultures and chest x-rays to identify the source of infection. Once an infection is suspected the child will be given a

Thirty to 50 percent of the 400,000 to 500,000 cases of sepsis in the United States each year are fatal, emphasizing the seriousness of this public health concern [2]. Recent research into possible alternative treatment options indicates that patients being treated with statin therapy are less likely to develop sepsis from a serious infection, die from sepsis or develop serious complications due to sepsis; however, the mechanism of action is unknown and therefore is the focus of this study [2, 6, 10-12]. Possible mechanisms of action include a direct interaction of the statin with the sepsis-causing organism, an interaction between the statin and the host immune system or a combination of the two [9, 14, 16-17]. Additionally, recent studies indicate that statins may have a direct antimicrobial effect and has suggested that statins may diminish the replication and infectivity of some pathogens responsible for sepsis [11, 14, 16-17]. Thus, we hypothesized that statins could benefit septic patients by

Pediatric sepsis can present itself in a number of ways, it is manifested by: rashes, changes in skin color, decreased amount of urine, lethargy, fever above 1004 F, and disinterest or difficulty feeding, among others (Rory Staunton Foundation for Sepsis Prevention, n.d.) When sepsis takes place, the circulatory system is often the first system to become compromised. Tachycardia, tachypnea, peripheral vasodilation, fever, or worst case scenario, circulatory collapse can happen (Santhanam, 2016). If continued, sepsis can eventually affect multiple organs, also known as multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MOBS), or worse lead to death. The signs and symptoms of sepsis reflect the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). As medical doctor Shankar Santhanam (2016) states in the “Pediatric Sepsis,” SIRS can be caused by infectious or

Sepsis still represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients despite the use of modern antibiotics and resuscitation therapies. There is a lack of early diagnosis and timely intervention for sepsis in the emergency department (ED), and recent interest has focused on biomarkers for early diagnosis, risk stratification, and evaluation of prognosis of sepsis.

Sepsis is a common condition in critically ill patients. Cases of sepsis rose by an average of 9% per year (Nasa P, 2012) and the number elderly patients being admitted to ICU’s has increased recently. One of the reasons for this trend is that people are living longer. The world’s population of people over the age of sixty has been increasing steadily. It has been projected that over the next twenty years the number of people over the age of eighty will be double and that by the year 2050 the population of elderly people will be greater than that of young people for the first time in history (World Population Ageing 1950-2050, 2001). In the elderly person, sepsis is a major cause hospitalization and ultimately death. The risk factors, susceptibility, and management are determinates in the outcome for the elderly patient.

An acute nurse knows that the cause of sepsis results from a systemic response to an infection that has entered the bloodstream leading to widespread inflammation. Sepsis leads to impaired oxygenation and tissue perfusion Gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria and fungi enter the blood stream either directly from the site of infection or indirectly as a result of toxic substances released by the bacteria production of bacteremia. Bacteria and fungi live anywhere a micro-organism can grow and remain alive even without a host. Patients can acquire an infection from endogenous sources such as wounds on the skin, genitalia, mouth, or infection of the gestational tract or nose. Exogenous sources include door handles, bathrooms, restaurant/ fast

Bacteria can caused neonatal sepsis and can be dangerous to a newborn babies. Neonatal sepsis is a clinical condition of bacteremia described by systemic signs and symptoms of infection in the first month of newborn life. Bactria can transfer in several ways, such as during birth, pregnancy and from the new surrounding of environment after birth. Newborn infants are at much higher risk for getting sepsis than children or adult because of their immune system is not developed and they cannot fight any infection or other diseases. It has taken so many lives of innocent newborn babies. The mortality rate continuously to increases especially in the third world countries such as Africa. The early recognizing the sign and symptoms and diagnosis, the

Sepsis is a clinical syndrome defined as a potentially fatal systemic response to an infection. It can affect patients across their life span. And it is usually caused by both gram positive and gram negative bacterial infections. Sepsis can develop from a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) which is used to describe the early response to injury, which might be infective or non-infective, to a severe sepsis and septic shock if it was not recognized early and promptly, and effectively managed (2). Abnormalities in the inflammation, immune, coagulation, oxygen delivery, and utilization pathways play a role in organ dysfunction and death. Sepsis is a cause of considerable mortality, morbidity, health care utilizations and cost

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response to infection agents (bacteria or fungi), which can lead to severe sepsis and septic shock that caused drop in blood pressure, ischemia, different organ damage, and death (Lagu T et al., 2012).