Sepsis and septicemia are related conditions involving inflammation and infection. Sepsis is a whole-body inflammatory response to an infection, while septicemia refers to bacteria in the blood. Both require aggressive treatment, including antibiotics and ICU care. Septicemia can lead to sepsis if left untreated. Healthcare professionals may prefer to use the term “bacteremia” to avoid confusion.
Sepsis and septicemia are two closely related medical conditions, both involving widespread inflammation and infection in the patient. In the case of sepsis, the condition involves a whole-body inflammatory response to an infection somewhere in the body that needs to be treated for the sepsis to resolve. Septicemia is a term used to refer to the presence of bacteria in the blood, a potential cause of sepsis. This term is actually somewhat deprecated and is often avoided in clinical practice due to confusion about the definition.
The difference between sepsis and septicemia mainly surrounds the fact that septicemia is an isolated phenomenon, whereas sepsis is a syndrome. Similar treatments are used for both conditions because both usually involve aggressive bacteria in the body and the patient may need strong antibiotics to survive the infection. Patients may also need to spend days or weeks in the ICU to monitor treatment during sepsis and blood poisoning.
In patients with sepsis, multiple organ failure can begin to occur as inflammation spreads and creates a cascading series of medical problems as the body attempts to fight off the infection. The patient usually needs to be treated in an intensive care setting. Strong antibiotics are given to fight the infection, and the patient is given supportive care to compensate for the malfunctioning internal organs. Medical equipment such as ventilators can be used to help patients breathe, for example, if they have difficulty breathing on their own.
Septicemia, in which bacteria enter the bloodstream, can be caused by complications of a localized infection or surgery. The patient can become very ill as the bacteria circulate through the body, causing a variety of localized infections and leading to widespread inflammation. If septicemia is not treated early, it can lead to sepsis. Untreated sepsis will eventually result in shock, coma and death for the patient and is considered a clinical emergency.
Healthcare professionals may prefer to describe the presence of bacteria in the blood as ‘bacteremia’, avoiding the term ‘septicaemia’ altogether. Confusion between sepsis and septicemia can be seen in some texts that refer to the two conditions interchangeably. Physicians tend to prefer the use of precise language when working with patients and with each other to ensure that all involved fully understand a diagnosis and its implications, and as a result may refrain from using terms known to cause confusion or uncertainty, including obsolete terms or terms used in various ways. ways by different professionals.
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