SIRS is a widespread inflammation of the body without an infectious cause, which can lead to complications such as organ damage and low blood pressure. Treatment involves identifying the cause and stabilizing the patient with fluids, temperature control, and medical devices. Causes include infections, trauma, and immunodeficiency disorders.
Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is widespread inflammation of the body with no known infectious cause. When SIRS develops in response to a known or suspected infection, it is called sepsis. SIRS is treated as a medical emergency that requires prompt intervention and treatment and can lead to a variety of complications, even with treatment.
There are four diagnostic criteria for SIRS, two or more of which must be present for a patient to be diagnosed. The first is a rapid heart rate, defined as a heart rate above 90 beats per minute. An elevated respiratory rate is another key indicator of SIRS, as is a temperature that is elevated above normal or substantially below normal. The final symptom is an abnormally high or low white blood cell count, indicating that the body is trying to fight inflammation.
The widespread inflammation of the body that characterizes SIRS can lead to several complications. One of the most serious is permanent organ damage or failure, caused by inflammation spreading to the organs. SIRS can also cause a patient to go into shock as their body tries to cope with the inflammation and can cause dangerously low blood pressure due to massively dilated blood vessels.
One of the key aspects of treatment is identifying the cause, because it can be difficult to eliminate inflammation without eliminating the root cause. In the case of patients with low blood pressure, fluids may be given to increase blood volume and cause blood pressure to rise. Cooling or heating blankets can be used to stabilize the body’s core temperature, and in extreme cases, a pacing device or respirator can be used to deal with elevated heart rate and breathing.
Unidentified underlying infections are a potential cause of SIRS, as are trauma, surgical complications, severe burns, heart attacks, drug overdose, immunodeficiency disorders, and anaphylactic shock, among others. Once the patient has been stabilized, medical staff will work to determine the cause of the SIRS, using interviews to take the history and medical tests such as blood draws and medical imaging to look for telltale signs of the cause of the inflammation . In the case of patients who cannot be interviewed, family members and friends can be interviewed to gather information about the patient and the activities they have most recently been engaged in.
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