Tag Archives: Septic shock

Straight, No Chaser: The Tragedy of Septic Shock

Infectious Disease, Cardiology/Heart, General Health and Wellness, Medical Treatment, , , , , , , , ,

Septic Shock
There are bad days and then there are really bad days. In many ways, the occurrence of septic shock is a culmination of a lot of bad things that can happen to you. Septic shock is the condition your body finds itself in as a result, progression and complication of a serious infection. This infection overwhelms your body, producing a massive inflammatory reaction, bringing many complications along. These complications include a significant drop in your blood pressure and can also include organ failure, most notably of the heart and lungs. Septic shock doesn’t occur to just anyone. It most often occurs in those with weakened immunity in one form or other (elderly, immunocompromised, diabetics, recent surgery, infection or prolonged hospital stay, burn victims, newborns and the pregnant), and it is the single most common cause of death in intensive care units in the U.S. The most common cause of septic shock is pneumonia, but urinary tract and abdominal infections are also major causes.
Signs and symptoms are routine and include low blood pressure, confusion or other signs of altered mental status, fever, chills and a fast heart rate, weakness, shortness of breath and noticeably diminished urination. Don’t focus on that list, though. Septic shock is a situation where your physician will know it when s/he sees it. If something like this happened at home, you’d recognize that something horrible was wrong, and you’d find yourself in an emergency room.

septicshock

In terms of treatment, the ‘when’ is just as the important as ‘how’. The earlier this is diagnosed and treatment is started, the better chances of survival are. And let there be no doubt. Life is in the balance with this condition. Treatment simultaneously seeks to hold the patient up and support him/her while the underlying condition is being addressed. This is when the big guns are pulled in, including major antibiotics, intravenous fluids to rehydrate you, medications to support and enhance blood pressure and possible use of a breathing machine (ventilator) to ensure optimal oxygenation. Even surgery may be necessary to remove dead abdominal tissue, burn tissue or an abscess that may be the source of an infection.

The truth is septic shock carries a death (mortality) rate of 50%. It is always a bad situation and is best viewed as a medical miracle when survived as opposed to a treatment failure when death occurs. I can only wish you and your family the best if you find yourselves in this situation. Time is tissue.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2017 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: The Tragedy of Septic Shock

Cardiology/Heart, Infectious Disease, Medical Treatment, , , , , , , , ,

Septic Shock
There are bad days and then there are really bad days. In many ways, the occurrence of septic shock is a culmination of a lot of bad things that can happen to you. Septic shock is the condition your body finds itself in as a result, progression and complication of a serious infection. This infection overwhelms your body, producing a massive inflammatory reaction, bringing many complications along. These complications include a significant drop in your blood pressure and can also include organ failure, most notably of the heart and lungs. Septic shock doesn’t occur to just anyone. It most often occurs in those with weakened immunity in one form or other (elderly, immunocompromised, diabetics, recent surgery, infection or prolonged hospital stay, burn victims, newborns and the pregnant), and it is the single most common cause of death in intensive care units in the U.S. The most common cause of septic shock is pneumonia, but urinary tract and abdominal infections are also major causes.
Signs and symptoms are routine and include low blood pressure, confusion or other signs of altered mental status, fever, chills and a fast heart rate, weakness, shortness of breath and noticeably diminished urination. Don’t focus on that list, though. Septic shock is a situation where your physician will know it when s/he sees it. If something like this happened at home, you’d recognize that something horrible was wrong, and you’d find yourself in an emergency room.

septicshock

In terms of treatment, the ‘when’ is just as the important as ‘how’. The earlier this is diagnosed and treatment is started, the better chances of survival are. And let there be no doubt. Life is in the balance with this condition. Treatment simultaneously seeks to hold the patient up and support him/her while the underlying condition is being addressed. This is when the big guns are pulled in, including major antibiotics, intravenous fluids to rehydrate you, medications to support and enhance blood pressure and possible use of a breathing machine (ventilator) to ensure optimal oxygenation. Even surgery may be necessary to remove dead abdominal tissue, burn tissue or an abscess that may be the source of an infection.

The truth is septic shock carries a death (mortality) rate of 50%. It is always a bad situation and is best viewed as a medical miracle when survived as opposed to a treatment failure when death occurs. I can only wish you and your family the best if you find yourselves in this situation. Time is tissue.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: The Week In Review, September 22nd, 2013

The Week In Review, General Health and Wellness, , , , , ,

chicago-skyline
You’ve been after me all week with two questions, so here goes:
1) Have you dropped back to one post a day, and why? 
Not necessarily; it depends on the topic and what else I have going on. As some of you are aware, I’m in the midst of a pretty significant effort to assist with a public health initiative addressing implementation of the Affordable Care Act. As such, my time is limited. That said, please continue to request and suggest topics. If they’re timely and have appeal to a large audience, I’ll get to it!
2) What’s with the commercials?
First of all some of them are hilarious. I particularly like Burt Reynolds and Cap’n Crunch in the bathtub, Neely and the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee, and the little baby (I won’t spoil the punch line.). WordPress recoups the costs of producing this blog by placing commercials. That allows the blog to be produced without additional costs. Thanks for your support, and I’m glad the information seems to be making a difference for many of you.

Now to the Straight, No Chaser Week in Review.

On Sunday, we addressed septic shock. It’s difficult to address topics that represent part of the final pathway to death, and I know many of you have lost loved ones as a result of septic shock finishing off whatever the initial illness was. I hope that I addressed this topic in a way that offered you clarity and not any insensitivity for what has to be among your most uncomfortable memories.
On Monday, we addressed a very important part of the future of medicine, and nurses’ various roles in it.  You should be aware of these changes, given how they will affect you.  We also addressed the basics of diabetes. I hope you paid attention. I describe diabetes as the Terminator of common diseases. It is both insidious and relentless. It takes a life-long effort to stay on top of things, lest you end up with a foot or leg amputated, blind, or fighting infections, seemingly indefinitely.
On Tuesday, we looked at hypoglycemia, which often occurs as a result of overmedication of diabetics but also occurs as a result of some potentially fatal diseases. In the emergency room, hypoglycemia is the first thing we assume is occurring and attend to in most patients with any altered mental status.  It’s just that important – and potentially deadly.  We also addressed the initial actions victims should take in the face of a sexual assault. Special thanks to Dorothy Kozakowski, Vice-President of the Illinois Chapter of the International Association of Forensic Nurses for collaborating on this post. Please remember: get away and get to help as quickly as you can without doing anything to yourself. I hope you never have to experience this, but statistically, I know that’s not the case.
On Wednesday, we looked at the most common abdominal cause of surgery in most ages: appendicitis. Symptoms vary significantly, but if you sequentially get abdominal pain, loss of appetite (with possible nausea and vomiting) and a fever, you might want to get to your local emergency department. A ruptured appendix could be fatal. We also reviewed blood clots in your legs (aka deep venous thrombosis, aka DVTs). Please review the risk factors for these and lower your risk. Given that these clots break off, go to the lungs and brain, and lead to strokes or death, it’s worth knowing.
On Thursday, we reviewed the various types of hernias that occur.  As with appendicitis, there are risk factors you should know and potentially deadly consequences for failure to get these addressed. Regarding the variety that occur in your groin, ask your physician to show you how to check yourself. Learn how to lift properly!
On Friday, we addressed medical conditions that tend to have a higher risk of occurring while you’re flying. If you like tips, it’s worth knowing those items suggested that could save a life (be reminded that there are no medical crews on your flights).
On Saturday, we began a week-long series on sexually transmitted infections (aka STIs, aka STDs). I’m ok with you reading in silence. Just read.  Knowledge is power. You’d much rather I answer your questions now as opposed when you’re about to be on the business end of a needle, speculum or swab (gentlemen that last one is especially for you).  We’ll be looking at individual conditions all this upcoming week – but I refuse to call it STD week.  That’s every week.
Thank you for your ongoing readership. Have a great upcoming week.
Copyright © 2013 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: The Tragedy of Septic Shock

Infectious Disease, Medical Treatment, Cardiology/Heart, , , , , , ,

Septic Shock
There are bad days and then there are really bad days. In many ways, the occurrence of septic shock is a culmination of a lot of bad things that can happen to you. Septic shock is the condition your body finds itself in as a result, progression and complication of a serious infection (The most common cause is pneumonia, but urinary tract and abdominal infections are also major causes.). This infection overwhelms your body, producing a massive inflammatory reaction, bringing many complications along. These complications include a significant drop in your blood pressure and can also include organ failure, most notably of the heart and lungs. Septic shock doesn’t occur to just anyone. It most often occurs in those with weakened immunity in one form or other (elderly, immunocompromised, diabetics, recent surgery, infection or prolonged hospital stay, burn victims, newborns and the pregnant), and it is the single most common cause of death in intensive care units in the U.S.
Signs and symptoms are routine and include low blood pressure, confusion or other signs of altered mental status, fever, chills and a fast heart rate, weakness, shortness of breath and noticeably diminished urination. Don’t focus on that list, though. Septic shock is a situation where your physician will know it when s/he sees it. If something like this happened at home, you’d recognize that something horrible was wrong, and you’d find yourself in an emergency room.

In terms of treatment, the ‘when’ is just as the important as ‘how’. The earlier this is diagnosed and treatment is started, the better chances of survival are. And let there be no doubt. Life is in the balance with this condition. Treatment simultaneously seeks to hold the patient up and support him/her while the underlying condition is being addressed. This is when the big guns are pulled in, including major antibiotics, intravenous fluids to rehydrate you, medications to support and enhance blood pressure and possible use of a breathing machine (ventilator) to ensure optimal oxygenation. Even surgery may be necessary to remove dead abdominal tissue, burn tissue or an abscess that may be the source of an infection.

The truth is septic shock carries a death (mortality) rate of 50%. It is always a bad situation and is best viewed as a medical miracle when survived as opposed to a treatment failure when death occurs. I can only wish you and your family the best if you find yourselves in this situation. Time is tissue.
Copyright © 2013 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress