Blood poisoning (sepsis) is the process of general infection of the body by pathogens from the source of infection through the circulatory system. About how this condition develops, what consequences it causes and in what ways it is treated, we will describe later in the article.
Causes of sepsis
Various microorganisms can stimulate the development of sepsis: viruses, bacteria, fungi, and the symptoms of its manifestation will depend on which one has entered the bloodstream. But the launch of the infection process, as a rule, is facilitated by a set of certain circumstances:
- the body must have a primary focus of infection associated with the circulatory or lymphatic system;
- the pathogen penetrates the blood many times;
- there is a formed secondary focus of infection, which subsequently supplies pathogens.
And the main reason provoking blood sepsis, the consequences of which we consider in the article, is a weak immune system or the presence of pathologies that inhibit it: extensive operations, heavy blood loss, cancer, HIV, blood diseases, etc. A significant role can play in this and the use of immunosuppressive drugs or cytostatics.
How long does sepsis take?
One of the features of the described pathology is its ability to fulminant course. This type of sepsis, called acute in medicine, proceeds violently, simultaneously affecting organs and systems. In this case, after 1-2 days, death occurs.
In addition to the mentioned clinical course of pathology, acute, subacute and recurrent sepsis are distinguished. They differ among themselves in terms of the course of infection (from a month to six months), and the latter form is also a wave-like course, during which exacerbations can be replaced by normal health. Especially long is the chronic course of sepsis, which can last up to a year, or even more.
Sepsis of the blood: symptoms
Signs of blood poisoning, as already mentioned, depend on many causes: the form of the disease, its course, the location of the focus of the primary infection and the presence of a secondary one.
But basically this pathology in all cases is manifested by jumps in body temperature reaching 39-40 ° C, which are replaced by its normalization. The patient complains of chills, the fact that periods without temperature are replaced by a feeling of heat and intense sweating. Besides:
- the onset of the disease may be accompanied by a state of agitation, euphoria in the patient, then turning into apathy and lethargy;
- the patient's skin takes a pale, icteric shade;
- pulse increases to 150 beats per minute, blood pressure drops, shortness of breath appears;
- a rash in the form of bloody vesicles or spot hemorrhages can occur on the skin - which is a sign of the development of hemorrhagic syndrome;
- herpes may appear on the lips;
- the sclera of the eyes turns red, and the mucous membrane of the oral cavity bleeds.
As you can see, the onset of blood sepsis has a wide variety of consequences, but the main signs of its appearance are still considered high fever, the presence of chills and heavy sweating.
Complications of blood sepsis
Complete intoxication with the results of the vital activity of harmful microorganisms, which causes the listed symptoms, during blood poisoning occurs due to the fact that toxic substances are instantly spread throughout all organs and tissues, penetrating into the mucous membranes and even bones and joints. And all this as a result leads to the fact that the disease itself, and the consequences accompanying sepsis of the blood, for a long time confine the patient to a hospital bed.
The most serious complication of the disease may be septic shock, which can occur at any time during its course. No less dangerous are inflammation of the kidneys (paranephritis) or bladder (cystitis), the formation of purulent cavities in various organs (for example, abscesses in the lungs or in the brain), the development of purulent meningitis, heart failure, or DIC (intravascular coagulation).
Without proper treatment, sepsis can be fatal.
Forms of the disease
Treatment of sepsis of the blood is carried out depending on how the microbes penetrated into the blood and where the primary focus of infection is located. In medicine, several types of pathology are distinguished.
- Percutaneous sepsis. It develops when infected through minor skin lesions in the form of scratches or boils.
- Obstetric and gynecological. It affects women after childbirth or abortion.
- Tonsillar. It is the result of a severe course of angina.
- Otogenny. The infection spreads from the ear cavity (for example, as a result of purulent otitis media).
- Odontogenic. The result of infection from the oral cavity in severe inflammatory processes of the gums and teeth.
- Cryptogenic sepsis. In this case, we are talking about an indefinite focus of purulent inflammation.
Diagnosis of blood poisoning
In order to accurately determine how to treat sepsis of the blood, it is necessary to establish the focus of infection and the type of pathogen that has fallen into the bloodstream.
For this, a blood test is taken, which is taken from different veins, and the sowing of the isolated microorganisms in a nutrient medium. In parallel, their sensitivity to antibiotics is determined.
In severe cases, an express analysis is performed, during which the genetic material of the pathogen is released in the blood, so that after 1.5 hours you can identify 25 types of bacteria or fungi that cause sepsis.
How is sepsis treated
The basic principle of the treatment of blood poisoning is based on the search and elimination of foci of infection. Their rehabilitation is carried out by means of a wide autopsy and thorough necroectomy. Additionally, the wound is treated with low-frequency ultrasound, antiseptics (Dioxidin, Dimexidine, etc.), surfactants (Chlorhexin) and proteolytic enzymes (Trypsin, Profesim, etc.).
The patient is selected the maximum possible dose of antibiotics, depending on the pathogen identified, for example, with staphylococcal sepsis, the drugs Fusidin and Refampicin are used. Increased resistance is stimulated by vitamin therapy and immunostimulating medications, and aggressive enzymes are suppressed by the introduction of Contrical or Gordox inhibitors.
Detoxification is carried out using a large number of protein agents and intravenous infusions of a glucose solution.
To eliminate the manifestations of hypovolemia (decrease in blood volume), preference is given to Polydez, Polyglyumasol, etc. in combination with Xagininol Nicotinate or Dipyridamole disaggregants.
One of the treatment methods is blood transfusion during sepsis or blood substitutes (Polyglukin, Reogluman, etc.). Laser treatment of blood also gives good results, and in severe cases, plasmapheresis and an artificial kidney apparatus are used.
Sepsis prevention
In order to prevent the consequences accompanying sepsis of the blood, several rules should be followed, which, although they will not be able to completely insure themselves from the described terrible pathology, but will significantly reduce the possibility of its development.
- All wounds must be treated with antiseptic agents.
- Purulent foci of inflammation to be subjected to timely surgical intervention.
- Carefully follow your doctor's advice after any injury.
And, of course, to strengthen the immune system - because only he is able to prevent the infection from even starting. Be healthy!