Sepsis: definition, epidemiology, and diagnosis

On 29 March 2005 a 41 year old journalist died of sepsis six days after a minor surgical procedure; she had consulted eight doctors over the intervening Easter bank holiday weekend. Whereas the national press focused on the political question relating to the provision of out of hours medical services in the United Kingdom, the coroner pointed out that “non-recognition of the seriousness of her condition contributed [to her death].” With an estimated annual mortality of between 30 and 50 deaths per 100 000 population,1 2 this condition ranks in the top 10 causes of death,3 affects all ages, and occurs in the community, in long term care facilities, and among patients admitted to hospital under the care of any, and every, medical specialty. #### Summary points Systemic illness caused by microbial invasion of normally sterile parts of the body is referred to as “sepsis.” This is a term that specifically serves to differentiate an illness of microbial origin from an identical clinical syndrome that can arise in several non-microbial conditions, of which pancreatitis is the archetype. The similarity in clinical picture is explained by the pathophysiological role …

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